The Miami Heat have made a living out of doing the — almost — impossible.
Ever since Jimmy Butler arrived in town, they’ve fared much better, even reaching the NBA Finals twice in the past four years.
But as well as they’ve done things, it seems like Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix doesn’t believe they can pull it off again next season.
In his latest appearance on The Crossover, Mannix projects the Heat as the 10th team in the Eastern Conference right now, citing that losing both Max Strus and Gabe Vincent was a major blow for them (h/t dru_star, via NBA Central).
Chris Mannix expects the Heat to take a significant step back next season after losing Max Strus and Gabe Vincent
“In an 82-game season I’d probably have them penciled into 10th in the East right now”
(Via The Crossover, @SIChrisMannix / h/t @dru_star ) pic.twitter.com/slDzATXNvO
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 1, 2023
Of course, this makes perfect sense, as both Strus and Vincent had massive roles in last season’s postseason runs, and they became integral parts of Erik Spoelsta’s rotation.
Nonetheless, it’s not like the Heat haven’t been in this position multiple times in the past.
Pat Riley and Spoelstra have made it a habit to find diamonds in the rough, thriving with undrafted players and turning them into legit rotation pieces.
If anything, most of the role players that have left Miami have struggled somewhere else.
It’s easy to look at that roster and wonder if they can compete at the highest level, as they don’t have as much talent as other teams.
Even so, when you have a core of players who have made it to three Eastern Conference Finals in four years, you have no choice but to give them the benefit of the doubt.
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