If the Miami Heat are going to defy expectations with Giannis Antetokounmpo this season (and perhaps beyond), their biggest strength as an organization from over the past few years is certainly going to be tested.
Can they find a few undrafted (or even second-round) gems to help cement this team's supporting cast around Giannis? Because, as limited as they are financially, that may be the most realistic pathway to filling out this rotation with championship ability.
Miami found a way to pull that off during their 2023 NBA Finals run, and may need some similar luck this time around. NBA reporter Sam Quinn admits that it's the team's biggest strength right now, but that ability will certainly be put to the test this season.
"Sam credits Miami's development machine — five undrafted free agents in the rotation for the 2023 Finals run — plus total organizational alignment under Pat Riley and an innovative cap department."
Can the Heat find their next Max Strus and Caleb Martin?
Looking back at that Finals run in 2023, it wasn't just the strong play of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo that helped get them there. No, in fact, there's a strong argument to be made that it was the play of Caleb Martin and Max Strus that was the true difference-maker for the Heat during that run.
Sure, the Heat are not even in a position to make that type of run without Jimmy, but at the same time, it's quickly overlooked just how important Strus and Martin were during that run.
Beyond just those two, Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent also played key roles for that squad.
What does this all say? That the Heat are going to need to find undrafted players to play a similar role on this new version of the team? Well, not necessarily. But the driving point is that the Heat need to find competitive advantages where other teams aren't.
For the Heat specifically, they've had a knack for finding those in undrafted players and second-round picks. If the Heat is going to be successful with Giannis, you'd have to imagine that's going to have to still be the case.
After the summer the Heat pulled off, they should feel comfortable with the roster that they've managed to surround Giannis with in this first year, but there's no question that their chances of making an even deeper run in the Eastern Conference are only going to rise if they can find another hidden gem or two.
Heading into the start of the season, that's certainly one storyline to keep a close eye on. Because if the Heat can figure out how to pull that off again, they're going to be sitting in a very good spot this season.
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