The Miami Heat have officially entered a new era. With Jimmy Butler now in the Bay Area, the Heat have begun the process of figuring out what will define their team going forward. There have been a lot of moving pieces so far, but the results have not exactly been promising. Miami has registered just a 4-17 record since the day they dealt Butler away.
Additionally, it seems that some of the toughness and grit people have come to expect from the Heat is absent on a lot of nights. Miami certainly does not look like the toughest team in basketball that is willing to out-hustle anyone on a nightly basis right now. Erik Spoelstra is still on the sidelines, but this does not look like your typical Spoelstra team.
This leads us to a lot of questions regarding the future in Miami. How can this team get back to playing the kind of inspired team basketball that makes opponents dread lining up against them? It is a big question that will require some time to answer, but perhaps one of the best questions we can ask to begin to answer it is this: What should the Heat's offense look like moving forward?
What is the Heat's offensive identity without Jimmy Butler?
When Butler was the captain of Miami's ship, the team's offensive identity was pretty clear - Jimmy was the main catalyst. Other guys like Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo certainly made leaps in terms of their own on-ball creation abilities as well, but Butler was the driving force behind the success of the Heat offense. Without him in the picture, things get a little more complicated.
One potential answer to this question could lie in Andrew Wiggins' solid play as of late. If Miami views him as a real long-term piece for the organization, Wiggins' production will go a long way toward replacing the scoring power and foul-drawing abilities that Butler brought to the table. However, it is unlikely that he can solve all the Heat's problems on his own.
Perhaps Miami takes a swing on a star player this summer to bring their offense together once again. This could work if Wiggins ends the year on a high note, and the front office opts to sell high on him while being willing to attach picks to get another team to take on his contract.
Let us also not forget to acknowledge the year Tyler Herro is having while leading the Heat in scoring at 23.4 points per game. While his growth remains impressive, the prospect of him being the top scorer on a playoff team with legitimate championship aspirations is doubtful at best. Miami will have to find an answer to this all-encompassing question if they are to get back into the ranks of the elite in the Eastern Conference.