The Miami Heat are heading towards the Play-In tournament, but they seem to have a positive direction moving forward despite a lackluster season.
After trading away Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat took a dive. They slipped to the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference, being the last team to make the Play-In tournament. They suffered a ten-game losing streak, the longest of Erik Spoelstra’s illustrious coaching career, and looked poised for an early end to their season.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom in South Beach. Tyler Herro broke out as a first-time All-Star, rookie Kel’el Ware has shown high-level flashes and seems capable of sharing the court with fellow center Bam Adebayo, and the Heat will enter the loaded 2025 NBA Draft with two first-round picks.
On top of that, the Heat have been linked to Kevin Durant in trade speculation. Despite a down season for the Heat, they are optimistic about the future, and Dwyane Wade thinks they have a franchise centerpiece already on the roster.
Bam Adebayo credited by Wade as Heat’s leader
If the Jimmy Butler era taught fans anything, it was never to count the Heat out. They became the first, and only, team to make the NBA Finals from the Play-In, running the gauntlet in 2023 before losing in the Finals to the Denver Nuggets.
While Butler’s individual excellence can be credited for their improbable runs, the supporting cast, namely Bam Adebayo, rose to the occasion.
Adebayo had one of the worst seasons of his career this season, but he has cemented himself as the face of the Heat, nonetheless.
“My conversation with Bam when he was on a 10-game losing streak, what we would talk about was ‘not letting go of the rope,’” reflected Wade on his self-titled podcast. “That’s Spo’s thing, ‘not letting go of the rope. You gotta run through this tape. Stuff looks bad right now, Jimmy just left, everything’s crumbling down. Don’t let go of it.”
While Herro was the team’s lone All-Star, Adebayo is the most important player on the team.
“And I think Bam emerged as a leader,” Wade continued. “ I think Bam is now the leader of the Miami Heat.”
Miami Heat have a solid core
On paper, Andrew Wiggins, Herro, Adebayo, Ware, and two promising rookies are not a bad group to build around. Pat Riley has constantly refused to rebuild, and the Heat will set their sights on high-end trade candidates this summer, namely Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Even if the Heat are unable to add an All-NBA level player this summer, “Heat Culture” focuses on internal development, and both Herro and Adebayo, products of the development, can set the tone.
“Tyler Herro is the guy probably going to be the best player, but Bam took the leader role when he came out and said ‘I’m not gonna let the guys quit on this season’,” finished Wade. “That’s the conversation Bam and I had, as my rook, and one of his vets, don’t allow those guys to quit on this season. And you see, now what they gonna do now with this?”
The East, to the Heat’s dismay, is getting better. It’s hard to imagine the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, or Cleveland Cavaliers taking a step back. The Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic are all improving, and the Philadelphia 76ers could be back in contention next season.
