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The Miami Heat made the improbable possible when they made the 2020 NBA Finals last season, becoming the first No. 5 seed to reach the championship round in league history. Five-time All-Star Jimmy Butler led the Heat to the Finals in his first year with the franchise.
With high expectations all around, it’s up to coach Erik Spoelstra to keep the Miami Heat from being complacent and to encourage them to be more consistent on a nightly basis. Heat Nation will be in full force as Miami seeks to surpass last season’s accomplishments.
2020-21 NBA season: Making 3 bold predictions about the Miami Heat
The 2020-21 NBA season will show the basketball world how good this Miami Heat team truly is. Almost as soon as they lost to the LA Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals, the Heat were doubted by many basketball pundits who believe their run was a fluke.
However, the Heat will likely prove these naysayers wrong with a strong showing this season that will leave no doubt regarding their status among the league’s best teams.
Here are three bold predictions about the Miami Heat’s 2020-21 season:
#1 Tyler Herro will average 20 points per game
The 13th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, Tyler Herro, left many team executives questioning their draft decisions last year after he exploded for 37 points in Game 4 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals.
In the next round, he became the youngest starter in NBA Finals history, beating out Magic Johnson for the distinction.
What’s next for the cocky, young sharpshooter? Herro will likely average at least 20 points a night this year. He will bump up his scoring average by almost seven points from last season (13.5 points per game).
Herro has the ability to drain three-pointers with regularity like the Golden State Warriors’ Splash Brothers, and Spoelstra will undoubtedly feature him more in the offense.
Fans can expect Herro to have a strong sophomore campaign with an arsenal of moves we have never seen before from the University of Kentucky product.
#2 The Miami Heat will be a No. 2 seed in the East
After an inconsistent 2019-20 season, the Miami Heat will become a force to be reckoned with in Jimmy Butler’s second season in South Beach.
The Heat would have had a 50-win season (ended with a 44-29 record) in 2019-20 had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic that shut down league operations for months. This year, bank on them to not only win more than 50 games but also to nab the second seed in the East.
With Jimmy Butler firmly entrenched as a top-tier superstar and Bam Adebayo looking for his second consecutive All-Star appearance, the Miami Heat will ride their two stars to become the East’s second seed.
The Milwaukee Bucks will once again take the no. 1 spot but that won’t matter to the Heat, who don’t mind landing second place in the regular season.
#3 The Miami Heat will return to the NBA Finals
Although the aforementioned Bucks will likely have the best record in the East for the third consecutive season, it is the Miami Heat who will represent the conference for the second straight year.
Jimmy Butler has grown as a leader and will demand more from his team knowing what they accomplished a season ago.
Last season, the Miami Heat were fourth in offensive rating (112.7) and eighth in defensive rating (110.8) among the 16 playoff teams. They will be even more fluid offensively and tougher defensively this season after a year playing together.
Team chemistry is one of the most underrated aspects of ballclubs wanting to reach the Finals in consecutive seasons, and the Heat have that in spades.
The Miami Heat will be back in the Finals and will surprise whichever team they meet there.
Mark that down.
Guess the Lakers players!
