Heat stars aren’t lacking any confidence in viewing themselves as contenders

Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell didn’t shy away from giving the Heat lofty goals of being contenders this season.
(Photo via Getty Images)

As the offseason has come and gone, along with media day and training camp— the start of Miami Heat preseason basketball is rapidly approaching. And there have been a plethora of standout quotes across the roster in recent days.

But the most notable ones may have come from two of the team’s most talented players in Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell. They each referenced this year’s Heat team as contenders, and a squad that should be “feared” amongst rivals in the weak Eastern Conference.

The East is as wide open as it has ever been currently. With injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton in these past playoffs, along with Damian Lillard’s departure from the Milwaukee Bucks, it leaves the conference up for grabs for whoever is prepared to do so.

When it comes to Tatum and Haliburton especially, both their respective teams were the last two East teams to advance to the NBA Finals. In their absence, the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are expected to take a step backward— opening up new blood to make a deep postseason run.

Of course, the Heat are no stranger to being viewed as heavy underdogs. And it looks like that is the route Miami will have to embrace once again if they look to shock the league once again.

Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell recently doubled down on the Miami Heat’s ability to make noise in the East.

In addition to Adebayo displaying his confidence in calling the Heat a “contender”, Powell also went that same route in a recent interview, while acknowledging his own All-Star caliber skill set.

“We can be really good. One thing that people don’t understand or see is that you don’t need a generational superstar or talent to be good to go and win a championship and have a deep playoff run. [You can have a deep playoff run] Having a well-rounded team with experience with star players, which we have in Bam and Tyler– and I see myself as well as a budding star even though I’m 32 now. But [it helps] having that experience with Wiggins, guys that have won championships and know what it takes to be successful. We have a great team built around guys who have an opportunity to step up and play bigger roles. And [we have] a team that’s hungry and ready to compete, ready to go after it and prove people wrong. We have the DNA to be a team to be feared going into the season.”

— Norman Powell, via Andscape

Powell is the newest core member of Miami’s roster, following a mid-summer three-team trade with the LA Clippers and Utah Jazz.

He has already bought-in to the “Heat Culture” way of doing things under coach Erik Spoelstra. And he seems ready to prove himself as a legit star right at the peak of his prime years in his age-32 campaign.

Coming off an impressive year with the Clippers, the veteran guard posted nearly 22 points per game on elite shooting efficiency. With Tyler Herro sidelined for potentially the first 15 games of the season, Powell will have ample opportunity to be a featured player in the Heat’s offense. It gives some time for him to get comfortable in Spoelstra’s system, until the two can showcase themselves as a reputable backcourt duo together.

Miami was in desperate need of a new scoring punch heading into the 2025-26 season. And Powell is capable and prepared to shoulder some offensive responsibility for his new team.

Hopefully his lofty goals, both for himself and team success, will lead to a competitive Heat campaign.

Heat stars aren’t lacking any confidence in viewing themselves as contenders

Tags: