As player from other teams begin to opt out of the upcoming Orlando upstart, could the Miami Heat hold an advantage over the rest of the NBA?
The Miami Heat and the rest of the league have come a long way since shutting down operations in mid-March. Now, basketball is just weeks away from returning in a quarantine fashion.
Unfortunately, one thing that hasn’t changed is the continued outbreak of COVID-19. This has lead to a number of complications for the NBA’s plans to resume and finish the season.
Among them is the fact that some players have opted out of participating entirely. Household names like Trevor Ariza, DeAndre Jordan, Davis Bertans, and Wilson Chandler have all announced they will remain at home and not travel with their teams to Orlando.
While Derrick Jones Jr did recently test positive for the coronavirus, it seems he remains intent on playing in Orlando. His two weeks of quarantine would place his return to the team on the very same day Miami travels into the bubble in Florida.
That would make for 17 of 17 players from the Heat’s roster at the start of the break available for the finish to the 2019-2020 campaign. Not many teams can say that. Could it prove to actually be an advantage for the team come the season’s restart and beyond?
Instead of plugging in players that have something to prove that will need (and want) the ball while potentially risking chemistry, the Heat’s locker room is as strong as ever. On a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday, point guard Goran Dragic assured such:
"“We are really connected as a team. That will be one of our advantages in the bubble…..As long as we have the same chemistry we did at the beginning of the season, we know how to win.”"
Miami’s sixth man isn’t wrong by any means. The team was incredibly successful in their first year with Jimmy Butler at the helm. They went 41-24 before the season went on hiatus.
If that same team can show up to an NBA arena where other teams are having to sort through new additions and potential health concerns, it could be a promising postseason for the Heat.
As of now the Miami Heat will be arriving in Orlando as a whole roster. No one could have predicted it, but that very well may prove an advantage in the season’s finish.