The Future of the Miami Heat

Written by Dylan Hunter Carter

 Following the loss of LeBron James to the Cavaliers and an injury-plagued season, the infamous Miami Heat fell from Eastern Conference champions to the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. While the addition of Goran Dragic to the team brought greatly needed depth and passing ability, the devastating injury to Chris Bosh sealed the fate of the Miami Heat. When the Nets and Pacers increased their level of play late in the race for playoff berth, the Heat continued to decline. Regardless of the outcome of this season, the Heat have contention in their future as long as they recover from injuries and retain important pieces.

One of the most important tasks of the Miami Heat this offseason is retaining new acquisition Goran Dragic. The young Slovenian spent most of his career shadowing Steve Nash in Phoenix until Nash left and Dragic was given the opportunity to step up as the definitive point guard for Phoenix. This was meant to be the perfect situation for Dragic until Jeff Hornacek and the Suns became mixed up in a 3 point guard system with Dragic, Bledsoe, and Thomas. From this point, it was clear that Dragic needed a change of scenery. As a result of the trade deadline, Goran landed in Miami where solid point guard play was desperately needed. The Heat welcomed Dragic with open arms and high hopes, to which he responded with solid play and his play making expertise. The Heat needed a talented young point guard and they found one, now their priority has to be resigning him in free agency this summer. Dragic is a high priority target for most teams looking to rebuild, but Miami has the upper hand due to the excitement of playing in Miami, the championship experience, and the great chemistry Dragic already built playing alongside Dwyane Wade.

Another important task of the Miami Heat is the rehabbing of Chris Bosh. Midway through the season, Bosh was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and was removed from all basketball activities until the start of next season. Bosh had been playing wonderfully before this devastating news alongside Hassan Whiteside in the low post. With Whiteside controlling the paint, Bosh was given the opportunity to extend his range and play in the high post. It can be argued that Bosh is one of the best sharpshooting big men in the NBA and the addition of Whiteside allowed this aspect of Bosh’s game to be more heavily utilized. For the Heat to regain their dominance in the league, Bosh needs to fully recover and return to full strength.

Hassan Whiteside was a second round pick by the Grizzlies in the 2010 NBA draft and had never been given a chance at stardom until this past season with the Miami Heat where he proved himself to be a dominant force in the league. After setting a team record 12 blocks in a triple double against the Bulls in January, Whiteside proved himself worthy of the starting Center position and a crucial player in the Heat’s game plan. The Heat need to continue to train and develop Whiteside into the player that he’s proven himself capable of being.

The most important aspect that needs to be improved for the Heat to fight back into contention is the durability of the team. The team as a whole has been plagued by poor health for the majority of the regular season which easily explains why the team fell off their throne. LeBron James was not the reason for the Heat’s excellency over the past few years, but rather the high energy and explosive play of the team as a unit. The team cannot maintain that style of play if the players are watching from the sidelines with various injuries. The Miami Heat need to improve their medical staff as soon as possible in order for the team to reach it’s maximum potential.

Looking over their roster, the Miami Heat have a team strong enough to win another championship as long as they can retain their players and keep them healthy. With the East as the clear weaker conference, it won’t be hard for the Heat to make their way back to a top seed in the conference. The champions have become the underdogs, and they’re ready to fight their way back to the top.

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