The Miami Heat look promising ahead of the start of the new 2024-25 season. They have made some minor roster changes, and are banking on internal growth and health. Thus far, it's looking like that notion could become very real. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are hungry enough to continue making leaps, with Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. showing the first bit of improvement in their games.
Hopefully, the Heat get the first healthy full season out of Terry Rozier as well, who came into training camp with optimism and in great shape. Another key contributor in Duncan Robinson is fully healthy and looked strong during the Heat's first preseason win at home, totaling a team-high 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting. The team's core is looking 100% and ready for a revenge tour, along with many other intriguing pieces with the supporting cast and young players.
If there is anything this Jimmy Butler-led build has proven to fans over the years; never doubt the Heat. They have the elite coaching, depth and top heavy star talent to always be capable of shocking the world once again.
Butler is also locked in more than ever, making an emphasis on a new mindset heading into the new year:
Jimmy Butler is embracing a different mentality in regard to the regular seasons for this year:
— All U Can Heat (@AllUCanHeat1) October 12, 2024
“I want to play in as many games as possible.” (via Miami Herald) pic.twitter.com/D7kIBicZi8
This approach is vastly different from years prior, when Butler would expect to miss a certain amount of games. “Contract year Jimmy” is coming and Heat fans should be excited to see the best version of their star. There are three stats that this Heat team will look to improve on, with the first one coming at no surprise.
Health, offense, stars players. Here are some teamwide stats that should improve for the Miami Heat this season.
1. Games Missed
Miami were a top three team in most games missed due to injuries during the 2023-24 season, trailing just the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets. A lot of this seemed unfortunate, as it appeared that whenever a key contributor would return, another one would quickly go down. Herro being one of the team’s best players and missing the amount of games he did is the starting point here.
It is tough to build any sort of consistency and chemistry when a player of Herro’s caliber is never in the lineup. The best version of the Heat comes when their top guys are playing, and he made that difficult from the beginning of the season. Butler, who has struggled with availability issues of his own, played in 20-plus more games than a 24-year-old Herro.
2. Offensive Efficiency Rating
Erik Spoelstra’s identity as a coach starts at the defensive end of the floor, and that was reflected by the Heat finishing last season in the top 10 in defensive rating. However, it was a different story offensively, where Miami ranked near the bottom half. It was clear after training camp that Spoelstra has put an emphasis on the team’s offense -- and rightfully so.
The Heat seemed to have struggled with over-passing the ball last season. With the type of offensive talent this roster has, they need to have the confidence to take and make shots. The hesitation and second guessing is a recipe for disaster, and a stat that should improve moving forward.
3. Terry Rozier PPG
The Terry Rozier acquisition seemed to be the missing piece this core has desperately been coveting. The three-level scoring out of the point guard position is something the Heat haven’t had since prime Goran Dragic. Unfortunately, it didn’t play out that way at first, and got even worse when Rozier’s season was cut short due to a season-ending neck injury.
It took Rozier a long adjustment period before he got comfortable in the Heat’s system. His 23.2 points in the first half of last season with the Charlotte Hornets considerably dropped to 16.4 points with Miami. Now that he has a full training camp and health on his side again, look for that statistic from the team’s starting point guard to improve.