In the eyes of NBA insider Zach Lowe, there are three big storylines that Miami Heat fans should be focusing on heading into the rest of the season. Those revolve around how aggressive the team will be at the NBA Trade Deadline, if this is the year where Erik Spoelstra finally wins the NBA's Coach of the Year award, and where the Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware fit look the rest of the year.
Those are three narratives that will go a long way in dictating the future of this franchise.
Thinking it over, Lowe is probably right. Despite the Heat's strong start to the season, there are some other big-picture questions that will be decided over the next few months. The first does very much revolve around "what's next" for the Heat.
Will the Heat be aggressive at the trade deadline?
Even with the Heat's hot start to the year, there's one reality that the front office has to know: they still aren't a legit championship contender. And that is unlikely to change unless there's a big move coming at the NBA Trade Deadline.
The big question for the Heat over these next few months is, as Lowe reiterates, how aggressive the Heat are going to be. And whether this is the time to make or pursue a big splash.
That could end up dictating just how the rest of the regular season is going to go, and what could lie ahead in the calendar year for the franchise.
Will Erik Spoelstra finally win the NBA's Coach of the Year?
Another storyline worth monitoring for Heat fans is whether this is the year that Erik Spoelstra finally wins the NBA's Coach of the Year award. For as great as a coach as Spo is, he's yet to win the prestigious award.
He's won NBA championships and has consistently proven himself as one of the best basketball minds in NBA history. For one reason or another, he's yet to win his first Coach of the Year award. But this could finally be the year for him.
No one believed the Heat would factor much in the Eastern Conference, and if they were to finish as a top 3 or 4 seed heading into the playoffs, there might not even be much of a conversation about it. Add in the fact that Spo is completely revolutionizing the NBA once again, and this almost has to be the year for him.
Where does the Bam Adeabyo and Kel'el Ware fit go from here?
Finally, and genuinely looking into the future, the Heat must find out where the on-court Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware fit goes from here. It seems as if Spo is still experimenting with this combination and is back at starting both players.
However, especially with the way Spo operates, there's no guarantee it will remain this way the rest of the season.
But, if nothing else, the remainder of this season should give the Heat's decision-makers some clarity on this frontcourt duo, one way or another.