The Miami Heat are rolling in the preseason, improving their record to 3-1 and secure their third straight win 120-11 over the visiting Atlanta Hawks. This game featured both teams going on runs, until the Heat blew it open following halftime. Atlanta was outscored 37-15 in that third quarter.
#HEATWin final – Miami 120, Atlanta 111
🔥 Butler: 24pts, 5rebs, 3asts & 3stls
🔥 Herro: 19pts (3 3s), 5asts & 5rebs
🔥 Highsmith: 16pts (6-8 FGM) & 4rebs pic.twitter.com/bv5ZCF9lnp— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 17, 2024
The player of the game was Jimmy Butler, who led the team offensively and set the tone for his teammates. He hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter; from then on, Miami had full control. It is a great sight to see Butler’s commitment to the team and his availability.
He has appeared in all four of the Heat’s preseason games after playing in none of them the previous two years.
Not only is it great to see Butler make an effort to play in more games, preseason nonetheless, but it has also been encouraging to see extended run from the projected starting five. Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Butler, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo have looked impressive thus far. It is clear that coach Erik Spoelstra is looking to build that continuity right out of the gate and see the most reps possible from his main core.
That chemistry is quickly building and the group looks sharp on both ends of the floor together. They have been playing more quick, efficient and seem to have found a way to complement each other. Miami made it a point to improve their offense heading into the new season, and this five-man lineup has looked like it gives the best opportunity to do so.
The Heat have been consistently getting up 40+ 3-point attempts during the preseason, finishing 13/42 (32%) as a team tonight. They shot 51% from the field compared to Atlanta’s 43%. The Hawks came out firing offensively, but Miami was able to combat that with strong offense of their own. Outside of the more modern day offense looking effective, their defensive activity has been high with steals and deflections leading to easy offense.
Outside of Butler and the starters, the depth has shined with solid contributions tonight from guys like Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr, Alec Burks and Kevin Love. It appears that the Heat are sporting a new top heavy lineup that is meshing well together, but the bench looks as deep as ever, too.
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Trade Robinson, Jovic and Larsson for Kuzma (22.2ppg/6.6rpg/4.2apg)
Kuzma is signed through 2026-2027 on a VERY VERY affordable decreasing annual contract ($23,568,182 in 2025, $21,477,273 in 2026 and $19,431,818 in 2027).
Starting line-up: Rozier, Herro, Butler, Kuzma, Bam.
If Ware develops rapidly during the year, Herro can be moved to 6th man, Butler can slide down to SG, Kuzma to SF, Bam to PF and Ware to C.
Rotation options besides Herro: Jaquez, Highsmith, Richardson, Burkes, Ware, Bryant,
By making this 3:1 trade, Miami would open up two roster spots for Stevens, Johnson or Christopher.
Any thoughts?
I like it. We need that kind of trade as we have a bunch of fairly good players in a logjam, fairly good now and two with potential upside. And Kuzma needs to be moved. It makes sense for both sides, which is why it probably won’t happen. Still, I think it’s a very viable trade and likely not the only possibility using those three players.
Everything fine… its just that I dont like Kuzma as a player..
I’ve followed him since he came in to NBA with Lakers. He was a pretty good defensive player until after his first year in D.C. (see below).
He is a good team player who knows his place in the pecking order. That starting line-up and rotation could compete. If Ware develops into starting center and Butler decides to walk or is traded, he could easily drop into the SF position.
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/kyle-kuzma-defensive-rating-by-season
I bet if the Heat wins a championship with him you’ll love him. #2
hmmm… lets say that I m not all about final result, I m more about path taken to that final result.
So, a championship with current rooster would be a reason to pack and fly to Miami to visit a parade, but a championship with trio of Durant, Lebron and Curry a good reason to stop being a Miami heat fan.
It’s not about you Vag. It’s about the team. Don’t write Kuzma off until you get to know what kind of team player he is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drg0fL_ThMo
Agree with vagibugi. Would be a good starting 5 and we have some discovered talent in the queue that making a 3:1 trade would be alleviated with but I just don’t like Kuzma that much as a player/person. This is the best proposal you’ve made that I’ve seen though, a lot is very logical. Wonder if the FO has thought about it. I actually think that puts us strongly in the top 4 east.
I bet if the Heat wins a championship with him you’ll love him. #1
Of course I like it, but I expect them to stand pat for now unless the team struggles. I do like that decreasing contract though.
I like it as well, but I agree we should see how this team does first, then if the team doesn’t perform well enough, we can possibly make that trade before the trade deadline, or a different trade.
I would jump on that trade in a New York Minute! Starting unit with 5 recent 20ppg players? Forgetaboutit!
I would too. I just don’t see it happening yet.
Very interesting article. Hard to disagree with rankings. West has far more good teams than east (7 of top 10). I do agree Miami is one good trade away from contention. The other three teams in the same boat are Indiana, Cleveland and Houston. I wonder if there are any potential trade possibilities there? Hmm?
https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/power_rankings
I like what I see. Starting lineup is set, but there are doubts if Jovic belongs there.
If somebody wants to start 5 best players, the answer is no. Jovic is not one of them.
But he fits in system for the role of KO, Babbit, Leonard, Tucker did, a stretch 4. He also brings length and playmaking.
I expect him to start the game and the third qt, if he will hit something or play well, he will finish game to, if not, I expect probably JJJ will.
Its just what Spo is doing from Bosh times.
Sometimes I agree with 30 and sometimes we see things differently. But we always agree about being realistic. Do I see the Heat as a bona fide contender? For that to happen, everything would have to fall perfectly into place, which is difficult at best. (but not impossible)
As of today, I feel Highsmith is the better option at pf, though Jovic can help off the bench.
You can’t teach size, and with his skill set, Ware can be a force on this team for years to come. But he, as well as Christopher, Keshad, and Pelle, are still raw. To expect any one of them to play meaningful minutes early on is unrealistic.
Like most, I want my teams to win it all every year. But, in the real world, each team has better than a 90% chance of not winning it all. So if someone is miserable when their team doesn’t win a championship, they’re going to be miserable most of the time.
So, as I do every season, I choose to enjoy watching my teams and hoping for lightning to strike.
I like this Heat team, so I’ll say Let’s go Heat(!) whatever may happen.
I agree with you now. I realized two years ago that you may have a bit of a sentiment for Jovic, and he still has a chance to become a good player. Also, I am trying to be more responsible in my comments, particularly to my fellow posters, the ones who see players differently. There are less harsh ways to put things as these are real people we are talking about, trying to ply their trade in the most competitive sport in America, if not the world (is European football even harder to break into, maybe?).
OTOH, I am not adverse to stirring things up a little if I feel the passion, as the pen is mightier than the sword. Check out the last comment on last night’s thread where I crossed all third rails. But, that is how I feel.
I think south American football beats all.
Big game from Jimmy. He can still do that.