NBA Preview 2018: Miami Heat

2017-2018 Record: 44-38, Lost in 1st Round

The Miami Heat are a long way off from their glory days with LeBron, D Wade, and Chris Bosh, but in the weak Eastern Conference they can still be playoff contenders. Led in scoring and assists by PG Goran Dragic, the Heat rely on consistent play throughout their roster and good defense to win games as opposed to having a few dominant scorers. The Heat defense is anchored by C Hassan Whiteside, whose massive frame makes driving to the rim a bit difficult for the opposition. Unfortunately the end of Whiteside’s season went very badly for him, so watch for his morale to take a dip, potentially leading to a trade during the season. The problem with the 2017 Miami Heat was a lack of upside. Their best scorer is 31 years old, their other players are in their prime years but underperforming, and their most exciting scorer was a man named Dwayne Wade, (you might know him,) who is retiring after this season. The only real promising aspect of the 2018 Miami Heat is the duo of rookies on the roster.

What’s New?

• F Marcus Lee had a rollercoaster ride of a college career. He started in Kentucky, ended in Berkeley. Lee is a traditional NBA forward, with only a few jobs: post up, block shots, get boards. Lee performs these three jobs fairly well, but he’s very raw on offense, and isn’t versatile enough to be a superstar on the professional level. He was a great value signing as an undrafted free agent, but I doubt he will be keeping opponents up at night anytime soon.
• G Malik Newman was originally drafted by the Lakers, but was waived after unconvincing Summer League play. Newman was a fairly efficient scorer at Kansas last season, as well an an explosive athlete who loves playing above the rim and a monster in isolation defense. Newman isn’t a fantastic playmaker, but doesn’t turn the ball over very much, so he has a foundation to build on. His poor Summer League play is of course not to be ignored, but it’s obviously not exactly surprising for a rookie to struggle in his first games at the next level.

2018 MVP

The MVP this year will likely be Hassan Whiteside. This team is not exactly prolific on offense, so they will rely heavily on defense in order to win games, just as they have in past seasons. Hopefully the rough ending to Whiteside’s season won’t carry over into the new year.

Keys to Success

The Miami Heat might weasel into the playoffs again this year, but that won’t (or shouldn’t) be a satisfactory season in the eyes of the passionate Heat fanbase. This team is a season or two out from collapsing and praying for lottery picks, so they desperately need a rookie or young player to step up and show superstar potential. Hassan Whiteside also needs to bounce back from his horrid playoff performance in a big way, and take back his team.