Top Two Factors Behind Miami Heat Earning Regular Season Success

Bryan Townes | Sep 23, 2024

Apr 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) returns the ball against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter during game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Many forget the Miami Heat held the Eastern Conference’s top record in 2022 after two straight Play-In Tournament appearances.

Despite all of the postseason success during the Jimmy Butler era, the regular season fails to meet expectations in recent years. Whether that ultimately means much is up for debate, as the Heat seem to care most about the playoffs anyway. It cannot be denied, however, that staying out of the Play-In could eliminate the risk of injury such as the one Jimmy Butler received against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Two major factors must help prevent a third straight season of being a Play-In team.

The Heat must act with urgency against lottery teams, taking advantage of those games for easier wins. The Heat fumbled away ten games against teams that missed the playoffs last year. These victories were crucial for their seeding, as the Heat were just three games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 3 seed in the East. Avoiding the Play-In Tournament completely was also well within the realm of possibilities, being just two games behind the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.

The second most important factor for the Heat is building continuity with their roster. It's tough to push blame onto injuries, but their Big Three—Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro—missed a combined 73 games last season. These absences also carried over into when the front office acquired guard Terry Rozier, leaving him to get accustomed to the Heat's system with a revolving door of lineups.

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com  or @bryantownesjr11 on X.