(Photo via Getty Images)
Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Miami Heat were expected to have a bounce back campaign from the Jimmy Butler drama that took over last year. However, not many people expected them to be this good.
All of a sudden, Miami has cemented their place amongst the top teams in the Eastern Conference. They are sporting a 13-6 record overall, including a current six-game win streak and winners of nine of their last 11 games as the third seed in the East— just 1.0 game back of second and 2.5 from first. Additionally, they have reclaimed a home court advantage at the Kaseya Center again. The Heat have a dominant 9-1 record at home this season compared to an under .500 record last year.
To sum it up, Miami is overachieving again.
They have done this with Tyler Herro missing the first 17 games, along with other injuries that have taken place with Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell. The Heat’s depth has been able to keep things afloat, however the true engine to “Heat Culture” triumph has always started with head coach Erik Spoelstra.
Spoelstra secured his 800th career coaching win in Miami’s previous victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. He is now also 17th all-time in total coaching wins in NBA history. But after earning the head coaching gig for Team USA at the start of this new season, there could be more accolades to come.
Erik Spoelstra has surprisingly never earned a Coach of the Year honors in his 18-year career.
The Heat have one of the league’s top offenses this season— currently ranked first in pace, field goals made and second in most total points. They are also first in defensive rebounding, second in defensive rating and assists, and third in bench points per game.
Sure, Adebayo, Powell, Kel’el Ware and now most recently Herro have all put together elite individual performances along the way. Even Jaime Jaquez Jr’s resurgence and Davion Mitchell’s elite playmaking are a major factor in the Heat’s reclaimed success. But it all starts with Spoelstra.
Spoelstra has led the Miami Heat to one of, if not the best offense in the entire association.
Going into the season, Spoelstra made it a point to implement a faster, revamped modern day offense. Miami has always been a strong defensive team over the years, but have been one of the worst offensively. That was finally addressed, and Spoelstra has the team completely bought in. In fact, this new offense has even gained consistent national media recognition— something that Heat fans know all too well with embracing underdog status from the lack of media attention.
Veteran analyst Zach Lowe also recently shared his thoughts on the Heat and Spoelstra:
“This team is legit good. They’re even better than I thought they’d be…the bench has been fantastic the whole season. Maybe this is the year Spo gets Coach of the Year. Miami has been an absolute delight to watch this season.”
— Zach Lowe
Even after Spoelstra’s 800th win the other night, he genuinely had no idea why the team showered him with champagne amidst a locker room celebration postgame. He is just that locked in right now. “Im having a hell of a time,” Spoelstra said afterwards in the press conference. “I love what I do. I love this profession. I love working for this organization.”
The Heat have the entire basketball world on notice right now. This team has been that good. Giving Spoelstra a group of high impact players that buy-in is an easy recipe for success. He even made a Dion Waiters-Hassan Whiteside led team look good.
Spoelstra is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in NBA history, but still lacks that elusive Coach of the Year title on his resume. If Miami keeps up this success, it is only a matter of time that Spo earns the long overdue honors— thanks to his leadership and innovation.
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Well deserved but TBH, that award is kind of cursed ain’t it? Not many NBA coaches who win COTY actually win the championship. To me, the latter would be more important?
He is respected coach all around, that is the most important thing. But Heat in past ten or so years are mostly average and rarely good until play off. Hard to get awards that way.