Victor Oladipo and Kyle Lowry could both improve this season.
August is coming to a close. Kevin Durant will remain with the Brooklyn Nets. Now, we’ll see if the Miami Heat can meet the demands of the Utah Jazz to trade for Donovan Mitchell. But for a moment, let’s assume the Heat go into the season without trading for Mitchell. How, in that case, can the Heat continue to contend during Jimmy Butler’s window?
Donovan Mitchell, if traded, would prefer to be dealt to Knicks, Heat or Nets, per The Athletic’s Tony Jones. Heat doesn’t have enough assets to appeal to Utah. And if you’re Miami, would you trade a billion picks & Herro for him? Not so fast my friend: https://t.co/1hyFh4nstj
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) August 25, 2022
Many pundits put the Heat below the contenders in the Eastern Conference — the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and, now with the news of Durant, the Nets. Now, in a September 2021 podcast episode, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said that Miami would be a worse regular-season team than projected. He said the depth worried him, but Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus all exceeded expectations.
The Heat could again surprise folks, as they did last year. Victor Oladipo will play for the entire season, and he remains a wild card. He and Tyler Herro could compete for the starting two guard role. Regardless of whether Oladipo comes off the bench or starts, his potential as a dynamic player on both ends of the court could raise the ceiling of this team. He had some great defensive moments in the 2022 playoffs.
Victor Oladipo & Bam Adebayo turned up the HEAT on defense! #HEATCulture
They each had 4 steals in Game 3 pic.twitter.com/CDc7ospZCN
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2022
Aside from Oladipo, Kyle Lowry is another player who could have a bounce-back season. He had a personal issue that in his words “kind of derailed my season” and then a hamstring injury in the playoffs. Pat Riley challenged him to get in world-class shape. The Heat traded for Lowry last summer to be the third cog next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Hopefully, he’ll prove the doubters wrong and show that he still has plenty left in the tank.
The Heat are going into the season without a replacement for P.J. Tucker. They need to find an upgrade by the trade deadline. But Oladipo and Lowry can help them stay competitive in the Eastern Conference.