The Miami Heat in their current iteration has been one of the best teams in the league. Having made it to the NBA Finals in 2020, they were one Jimmy Butler shot away from getting back there in 2022. The Heat team seemed to be a piece away from a championship for a while now, with their core of Butler, Bam Adebayo, and the ever-improving Tyler Herro making noise every year.
However, as great as Butler has been, the consensus is that the Heat would need another star to get over the hump. This is despite Adebayo playing at an extremely elite level on both sides of the floor, Herro constantly getting better as a scorer, and several excellent role players doing their job. And considering that they were the first seed in the Eastern Conference last season, it’s surprising that more people don’t mention them as contenders.
Bam Adebayo Had A Simple Response To The Miami Heat Being Overlooked As Contenders For The Championship
Having strung together many impressive seasons, it’s easy to understand why Adebayo and his teammates might feel slighted at not being named among the main contenders. However, despite their prowess, Miami is consistently listed behind the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks, for example.
They may not have the outright star power that all of these teams boast, but Miami has built an incredible group. They also have arguably the best Head Coach in the NBA at this time, Erik Spoelstra. So when Bam spoke about the Heat being overlooked as serious threats to win the title, he explained that while people may not rate them very highly, no teams would want to face them in the playoffs either.
“They don’t talk about us… Because they don’t like playing us.”
This identity of the underdogs suits the Heat though, every year the roster comes out firing when people don’t expect much from them. Their ability to elevate their game when it matters has served them well, and should not be underestimated.
It is safer to say, though, that even the Heat organization wouldn’t be against adding another star. They reportedly tried to move for both Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell this offseason, showing that if they can add more quality to the roster at the right price, they wish to do so. Only a fool would bet against the Heat before the season starts, though, they tend to exceed expectations.
