Miami Heat Rank At No. 20 In SI's Latest Power Rankings

The Miami Heat are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference through 28 games

The Miami Heat's season has been derailed by injuries thus far, leading to their 16-12 record.

However, their health is coming back as stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro returned earlier this week.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix recently updated his NBA power rankings. The Heat placed at No. 20.

"I loved Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s response to a since-ended run over double-figure scoring games," Mannix wrote. "Which briefly closed in on Dwyane Wade’s rookie run. 'Oh, s---!' Jaquez said. 'I mean, I don’t even know. That is just a crazy statistic. Just to be mentioned in the same sentence as a name like that is just an honor.' Miami is getting what it needs from Jaquez, who is averaging 13 points on 38% shooting."

In last week's rankings, Miami placed at No. 19, but the Golden State Warriors passed them.

Some believe Miami is still the "alpha" in the Eastern Conference despite their below-average placement. These people include sports media personality Bill Simmons, who commented on Miami's success in early December.

“I just think that’s the alpha in the East right now. They made the Finals last year. I don’t think they’re worse," Simmons said on his podcast. "I think they’re actually more interesting than they were last year in a lot of ways.”

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat.

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