NBA expert Tim Legler doesn't believe the Miami Heat has a high ceiling this season, and anticipates they'll be a Play-In Tournament team (at best) and won't make any noise in the Eastern Conference. If that is, indeed, the best-case scenario for the Heat this season, it will leave fans in a pretty bad place.
Legler would also go on to say that he doesn't like the Heat's roster construction at all.
Even though the Heat are clearly heading into the start of a "gap" year, this is not necessarily something fans want to hear. The hope is that while there are some challenging questions ahead for this franchise, they'll still be able to be at least somewhat competitive in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, the big question revolves around how competitive they can honestly be. That's fair. But with the young talent the Heat has returning, it would be slightly disappointing if they simply replicated their path from last season.
Emerging as a pretty irrelevant Play-In Tournament team would be quite depressing for the fan base this season.
A silver-lining for the Heat
That's where the silver lining of the development of their young core will come into play. If the Heat sees some improvement from their young core, this season could mean much more than a throwaway playoff appearance.
If Nikola Jovic and/or Kel'el Ware take a big step forward and cement themselves as key core pieces of this team moving forward, it will be all worth it. If Jaime Jaquez Jr. and/or Pelle Larsson have a big year, the Heat will be more than willing to take the tradeoff of a "gap" year.
Perhaps most importantly, if Kasparas Jakucionis shows any kind of promise as a potential foundational piece moving forward, perhaps even emerging as a starter late in the season, this experimental year will be viewed as a resounding success.
And, hey, maybe along the way, the Heat could emerge as a dangerous underdog in the conference, especially considering how banged up many of the teams are in the East.
But this is certainly a mind shift for the Heat. The fans must understand that, no matter how difficult it may be to grasp.
This is not a championship-or-bust season. It's a develop-or-bust year.
As grim as their projections may be, the Heat are underdogs once again. And they should be prioritizing the development of their young core. Could they still surprise a few people with strong play by the likes of Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Norman Powell, and Andrew Wiggins? Absolutely.
However, what is going to ultimately unlock this team's unforeseen potential this season isn't any one of those players. Instead, it's going to be an emergence from one of their young players.
So while many experts may view this season as a throwaway year for the Heat, fans should view it as an opportunity and a potential springboard for the future.