The Miami Heat have a ton of great players on their roster. When they signed Kyle Lowry, it was clear that they wanted to compete for a championship right away.
At the top of their roster, Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo make up one of the best big threes in the NBA. They are all All-Star caliber players and will be the main focus of Miami’s offense.
With lots of talent comes lots of expectations, and Miami’s big three will certainly have that this season. As mentioned, the Heat have championship aspirations, and these three are going to have to lead them there.
What should Miami Heat fans expect from each of these three players this season? What should each of them average, what is their floor, and what is their ceiling?
Expectations for the Miami Heat big three: Kyle Lowry
Since he just joined the team, Kyle Lowry might have higher expectations than the other two in regard to his play. Realistically, fans should expect him to be an on-court leader and primary ball-handler.
He is capable of scoring the ball, but that’s never been his primary concern. Ideally, Lowry is able to average around eight assists per game this season.
Unfortunately, Lowry’s floor could be rough. Since he is an aging point guard, there’s always a chance that his age shows and he ends up having a poor season, but considering how consistent he has been, that seems unlikely.
Lowry should be a tertiary scoring option for the Heat, while also acting as their main facilitator. He should be playing at an All-Star level, even though he probably won’t make the team.
Stats prediction: 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 44.3% FG, 38.7% 3PT
Expectations for the Miami Heat big three: Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler has been the leader of the Miami Heat for the past two seasons. Don’t expect that to change now just because Lowry is in town.
Butler will act as the primary leader on and off the court for the Heat. He is a top 15 player in the NBA, and he should be playing like one on a nightly basis.
With that being said, he may not take on as much of the scoring load this season. With Lowry on the team, and other players such as Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro primed to take a jump, he might be more of a primary facilitator.
He has led the team in assists for the past two seasons. He might not do that because of Lowry but expect him to still average a ton of assists this season.
Butler is the type of player whose impact doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet, as cliche as it sounds. Heat fans should notice this more than ever this year.
It’s tough to measure a floor for Butler considering how great he has been for the past two years. The only thing to look at when talking about a floor is his playoff performance last season.
It is highly unlikely that he plays that poorly for an entire season, though technically it’s not impossible. That would definitely be the floor if it were to happen.
One goal Butler should have this season is to shoot better from three-point range. If he can get up to around 36% from deep, the Heat would be a dangerous team.
Stats prediction: 18.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 50.4%% FG, 30.1% 3PT
Expectations for the Miami Heat big three: Bam Adebayo
Predicting how well Bam Adebayo is going to play this year is super difficult. Though he could come out and play similar to how he did last year, he also has a super high ceiling.
Miami Heat fans everywhere have been begging Adebayo to take more shots. Chris Bosh even came out and said that taking more shots is the next step in his progression as a player.
Bosh was specifically referring to Adebayo taking more shots outside, but this can be translated to his entire game. If he can average more shots per game this year, he could be one of the best players in the league.
Adebayo will have a chance to be the leading scorer in Miami. With two elite playmakers next to him (Lowry and Butler), he should get more easy shots than ever before.
On top of that, he should have the lofty goal of winning Defensive Player of the Year. He is one of the best defenders in the league, and there’s no reason he can’t contend for that award.
The floor for Adebayo is that he simply does not improve. If he plays as well as he did last year he’s still an All-Star caliber player, but Heat fans want more from him at this point.
Hopefully, Adebayo comes to play this season and embraces a more score-first role. He will be a force to be reckoned with if he does that.
Stats prediction: 20.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 51.2%% FG, 26.7% 3PT (few attempts)