The newly formed teammates Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell each recently displayed optimism towards Powell’s addition and the upcoming Miami Heat season.
(AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)
The Miami Heat’s 2024-25 campaign was filled with distractions and inconsistencies. From Jimmy Butler’s trade demand antics, to welcoming new key pieces post-trade deadline, leading up to an abysmal first round sweep out of the playoffs.
Although the Butler drama was put to rest following his midseason trade to the Golden State Warriors, the new-look Heat had to adjust on the fly. In the overall return by offloading the disgruntled star, Miami most notably landed Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell.
Following the trade, the Heat limped to a 12-21 record to close out the regular season.
In the midst of that losing record, Miami underwent both highs and lows. They suffered a 10-game losing streak— good for the worst skid of coach Erik Spoelstra’s career. But the team responded with a six-game win streak right after, and earned a trip to the postseason with two impressive play-in victories on the road.
Despite showing signs of putting strong Heat basketball together, their lack of scoring created issues in that first round sweep to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tyler Herro was getting hunted on every possession, and Miami had no true shot creators to take the pressure off him. That’s what led to the front office addressing their scoring concerns with the acquisition of Norman Powell this offseason.
It’s unclear how the fit with a Powell, Herro and Bam Adebayo core trio will look just yet. However, the potential is certainly there for Miami’s ceiling to be raised— and the Heat captain seems ready to see the product on the court.
Bam Adebayo recently spoke out on his excitement towards the Norman Powell addition
“I feel like Norman is one of those guys who floats under the radar.. You’ve seen what he’s done and you’ve seen him grow in this league.”
“He’s really shown that he can be an All-Star caliber player… so I’m happy to have him. It’s a very good shakeup for our team and now it’s a different dynamic to it.”
— Bam Adebayo via Anthony Chiang/Miami Herald
Additionally, Powell also recently iterated his excitement to buy-in to the grind of the “Heat Culture.”
“I think the Heat culture and what this organization is about is me to a tee. It’s exactly how I am. I’m built on competitiveness, I’m built on working, I’m built on the grind. That’s my motto, understand the grind… I’m excited to get down and get acclimated and get ready to go.”
— Norman Powell via Anthony Chiang/Miami Herald
Powell is right at the peak of his prime years, coming off a career season with averages of nearly 22 points on an efficient 48% shooting and 42% from 3-point range. He is capable of scoring at all three levels— providing the Heat with what they needed the most against Cleveland earlier this spring.
Not only can Powell assuredly help take pressure off of Herro, but he provides balance in the backcourt as a reputable perimeter defender throughout his career. That two-way versatility is a perfect fit alongside Herro’s scoring heavy skill set.
The Heat may not have made a superstar swing, but Powell’s addition addressed their biggest roster flaw and came at a bargain price tag.
It is expected that the newly acquired guard will slot in as Herro’s starting backcourt partner, and backed up by Wiggins, Adebayo, and Kel’el Ware to shape out the first unit. With the intriguing bench pieces of Mitchell and Nikola Jovic still in the fold, this Miami roster has a formidable first seven-deep of highly impactful players to utilize in the rotation.
With a full training camp from this group, and a refresh from the Butler saga, the cohesion is in a much better position to be built properly. This revamped Heat core is focused solely on hoops this season around.
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