ESPN jumps the gun when ranking Miami Heat’s core

Another sluggish start to a new NBA season has kept the Miami Heat just floating around the .500 mark. Amongst all the struggles and on-court inconsistency, they somehow still remain around a top-five team in the Eastern Conference standings. However, recent ESPN rankings gave the harsh truth surrounding the Heat’s core. 

The media outlet ranked the big three of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro as the 19th best core in the NBA. According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, he believes Miami's core has already hit its peak:

“This group has gone as far as Butler could carry it the past few seasons, and until further notice that remains the case," Bomtemps writes.

Their record and up-and-down level of play could justify a statement like this. The Heat have been a below-average team at home and have struggled to take down winning teams with a rough schedule to begin the season. Those are two elements of the team that have carried over from a season ago, but the core shouldn’t be written off just yet. 

Herro has put together the best season of his career and looks like a legitimate All-Star talent. Butler and Adebayo have been pedestrian, but still have put together some standout performances. As soon as they can find a way to all turn it on at the same time together, the Heat can find a way to break through. 

The next five games of the schedule should all be viewed as winnable ones. These matchups are set to face the Dallas Mavericks without Luka Doncic and then the struggling Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors (twice). This stretch gives Miami a perfect opportunity to string together some cohesion.

Butler returned to the Heat lineup after missing four consecutive games due to an ankle injury, and he didn’t miss a beat. His 30-point performance fueled the team into a double-digit comeback victory in the latest win against the Philadelphia 76ers. If the team can get a minimum 20-plus point production from Butler, Herro and Adebayo at the same time— they could look tough to beat. The key will be to remain aggressive and confident on offense.

Herro's emergence has put Miami in a position where, if Butler and Adebayo can get going, the Heat could be a force in the East. Miami's stars have proven they could be relied upon over the years. The Heat fanbase should trust that those two will step up.

As coach Erik Spoelstra does his due diligence in finding a rotation that works to surround his top players, they need to do the same in leading the way in production. The Heat managed to stay competitive in a weak East this year. They seem close to figuring things out, but it starts and ends with Butler, Adebayo and Herro.