Miami Heat: Ranking the biggest threats in the Eastern Conference

Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts alongside Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts alongside Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat passes around Patrick Williams #44 of the Chicago Bulls (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

As the Miami Heat embark on another quest for an NBA championship, there will be more competition than ever. The Eastern Conference improved a lot this summer, and a bunch of teams will be competing for a top playoff spot.

The general consensus is that the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets are going to be the top two seeds in the East. While it’s entirely possible that the Heat challenge them for one of those spots, let’s assume that to be true for the purpose of this article.

If the ultimate goal for the Miami Heat were the three seed, what other teams do they have to worry about? Everyone knows that the Bucks and Nets are going to be great, but who else will?

Who are the top five threats in the East outside of the Bucks and Nets? Who does the Miami Heat have to look out for as they try to earn the three-seed?

Ranking the biggest threats to the Miami Heat: 5. Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls made a ton of moves this offseason. They have a clear goal in mind, and that goal is to make the playoffs as soon as possible.

Well, with all the changes they made, they are set up perfectly to achieve that goal. In fact, they could end up outperforming expectations this season if everything goes well.

Chicago has a very well-rounded roster with a great mix of offense and defense. Just look at their backcourt – Zach LaVine is one of the best offensive guards in the league and the same can be said about Lonzo Ball on defense.

They have all the pieces to be a very competitive team this season. They are ranked fifth for a reason, but if they can build up team chemistry early in the year, who knows what they could accomplish.