Miami Heat: 3 players with the most to prove in NBA’s return

If the Miami Heat are to be taken seriously in next summer’s star chase, Jimmy Butler and company will have to prove the team a legitimate contender.

The Miami Heat’s aims to acquire a third All-Star is no longer a secret. They’ve been tied to names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bradley Beal, and Chris Paul as of recent.

If the franchise is to be taken seriously as a star destination they’ll have to prove it through the end of this season and the playoffs. None of the aforementioned names are going to leave their current situations without a legitimate chance at the title.

This is what makes Jimmy Butler’s first postseason with the Heat so monumental. He’s already proven time and time again that he makes teams better. All of the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Philadelphia 76ers have been worse off in his absence.

The next step to legitimating his status as championship level cornerstone is showing what he can do without that title level personnel behind him. Butler has a second All-Star in Adebayo but it’s hard to name the last team that wont the NBA finals behind solely a star duo.

For those of you that will immediately mention the Toronto Raptors last season: all of Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, and Pascal Siakam played at an All-Star level in the 2019 playoffs.

No, if the Miami Heat are going to be taken seriously by the likes of Antetokounmpo or Beal they’ll have to make their claim in the upcoming stretch. And that starts with their MVP, Jimmy Butler.