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Despite having a successful outing in the 2019-20 NBA season that saw the Miami Heat finish the season as Eastern Conference Champions and go all the way to the NBA Finals, with the title snatched by the Los Angeles Lakers in a 2-4 defeat. The Miami Heat suffered a slight dip in performances last season, finishing 6th in the Eastern Conference with a 40-32 record.
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The Miami Heat failed to reach their previous height, stumbling to a disappointing first-round exit at the hands of eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks in a clean sweep. However, the franchise and its supporters are looking to enjoy a better outing in the coming season, especially after the kind of offseason they had. An improvement to their first-team roster has seen many tip them into being a serious challenger for the title. To do that, the Heat will need to play to their strengths, which are:
Three key strengths of the Miami Heat going into the new season
#1 Strong offseason leading to an exquisite new roster
After a bad run in the playoff series last season, the Miami Heat made some good additions during the offseason. Additions like the signings of championship-winning veterans, Kyle Lowry on a three-year deal worth $85 million, P.J. Tucker on a two-year $14.35 million contract, and Markieff Morris on a one-year $2.64 million contract, to their roster have boosted the Heat in many departments.
The front office re-signed the services of Duncan Robinson on a five-year deal that would see him earn $90 million, brought back Dewayne Dedmon on a $2.39 million one-year deal and re-signed Victor Oladipo on a veteran's minimum deal worth $2.39 million. With lots of experience now added to the team, the Heat can now boast of a team capable of pulling some weight in the NBA Eastern Conference and a real chance at the title.
#2 Defensive depth
The Miami Heat signing of P.J. Tucker has given the team some depth and a more defensive force with his ability to take on the best player of the opponent and run him out of rhythm. While Tucker can also space the floor and sink in some threes, his defensive prowess will be most needed as the Heat had a bad run on defense the previous season.
If the Miami Heat are to challenge for the title in the coming season, they will surely need their defensive unit to rise to the challenge.
The re-signing of Dewayne Dedmon gives Spoelstra a wide variety of potential plays, which might feature a possible link-up with Bam Adebayo, giving Bam more freedom to wreak havoc, which we saw play out during the Bucks' series. Need I mention the magnificent Jimmy Butler, who led the league last season in steals per game and placed second in total steals.
#3 A shooting powerhouse
The Miami Heat had a terrible run in the previous season on offense, netting 39.2 times per game from the field, ranking 26th in the league, with a field goal percentage of .468, which had them ranked 17th in the league. This should be a thing of the past with the amazing additions the front office introduced to the team during the offseason. The Miami Heat roster currently contains good shooters that could make the difference when it comes down to it, including Tyler Herro, Victor Oladipo, Morris, Lowry, Duncan Robinson and Butler.
The Lowry addition, in particular, should prove most helpful in increasing their offensive power, alongside Robinson. Their presence should address the offensive problems of last season, as the Heat ranked 25th in points per game in the 2020-21 NBA rankings. Placing 19th in the league in 3-point percentage (35.8%), with an offensive rating of 111.2, ranking them at 18th position and they also had the worst offensive rebounds per game in the league.
