The Miami Heat appear they have been proven right to hold on to their young core of Kel'el Ware, Pelle Larsson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Nikola Jovic. With three of the four players on pace for breakout years, the Heat's young core is powering a resurgence for the Heat.
Jovic has certainly not played up to expectations so far this season, but the Heat's future appears to be in good hands with the strides that their other three young core players have made through the first month of the season.
Without the contributions of Ware, Larsson, and Jaquez Jr. this season, who knows where the Heat would be? Despite the excellent play of Norman Powell so far this season, it's the young supporting cast that has truly made the unexpected difference for the team.
It's not that it wasn't expected for the Heat's young core to take a step forward; it's just the fact that not many believed it would come this quickly. And it makes their polarizing decision to keep many of those pieces out of the Kevin Durant trade take from the offseason.
The Heat's unwillingness to pull the trigger on a Kevin Durant trade
During the offseason, the Heat's front office took a ton of heat (no pun intended) after not "going all-in" for KD. The reporting suggested that the Heat were unwilling to include Kel'el Ware, specifically, in their trade talks with the Phoenix Suns.
Many were quick to criticize the Heat for their decision, which ultimately led to the Suns trading KD to the Houston Rockets instead.
The Heat held firm (which spoke to their commitment to their young core), and many fans were quick to question the plan for the future.
At least through the first month of this season, that decision by the Heat's front office has now been vindicated - and it's well beyond just Ware.
Sure, Ware is the headlining young player for the Heat, averaging 12 points and 11 rebounds on 40 percent shooting from 3-point range, but Larsson and Jaquez Jr. have been equally as impressive for the Heat this season, too.
Larsson is averaging 10 points and four assists per game on 48 percent shooting from the floor, while Jaquez Jr. is posting 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists per game on 53 percent shooting.
Because of these contributions, the Heat is currently ranked third in the Eastern Conference, and that's without playing the majority of this season without Tyler Herro, who has just played one game.
Many believed this season would be a "gap" year for the Heat. But with the big steps in their individual development that their young core has made, this season is shaping up to be much more intriguing for this franchise.
And I'm not sure that still would've been the case had the Heat decided to break up this young core.