Miami Heat Spotlight: 5 Things to Know about the 2023-24 Season

While the Miami Heat came up short in their ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship in 2023-24, it was far from a disappointing season for the team. Miami, which surprised many by reaching the NBA Finals in 2022-23 as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, withstood injuries to several of its key players this season and, as a result, had to use a franchise-high 35 different starting lineups in 82 regular season games. In addition, no single five-man unit played more than 200 minutes together.

Despite injuries, Miami finished the regular season with a better record than it did in 2022-23 (46-36 compared to 44-38), made the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, and were only three wins away from finishing third in the competitive Eastern Conference. While there will likely be changes in the offseason, there were also some positives during the 2023-24 campaign that Miami can build upon heading into next year.

Below is a look back at the team's 2023-24 season.

Top-5 Defense

Miami struggled at times offensively this past season. The team averaged just 110.1 points per game, which was fifth-worst in the league and the lowest among the 16 teams that qualified for the playoffs. Yet, it played stalwart defense throughout the season, finishing third in points allowed (108.4) and fifth in total defensive rating. The Heat allowed just 40.2 field goals per game, limiting opposing teams to 46.7 percent field goal shooting. Bam Adebayo, serving as the Heat captain for the first time in 2023-24, was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.

"Where we weren’t necessarily able to find consistency with our three different offensive philosophies, we were able to find consistency more often than not on the defensive side of the floor. Even though we had a couple different ways of playing based on who was available," explained Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, speaking to NBA.com. He has now led Miami to 12 top-10 defensive finishes since 2008. He emphasized that the team had a group of players who were committed to “doing tough things”—guarding, removing easy opportunities for their opponent, and rebounding, for example—and that they took pride in this.

First-Round Playoff Loss to Boston

Miami, as the eighth seed, upset the second-place Celtics in seven games in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. Things were different in the 2024 playoffs as the Celtics won the best-of-seven series in five games. Miami beat Boston 111-101 on the road in Game 2 to even the series, but lost the final three games by a combined 68 points, including a 118-84 loss in Game 6.

The Heat averaged just 92.2 points per game in the series and were outrebounded by nearly 10 boards per game. Adebayo was Miami's best and most consistent player in the series, averaging 22.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.

Jimmy Butler's Limited Availability

Jimmy Butler, who was largely responsible for getting the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2023, didn't play in the series against Boston after hurting his knee in Miami's Play-In game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Butler is among the best players in the game, but his limited availability is a major concern going forward, especially as he will turn 35 in September. Butler has missed 100 regular season games in five years with the Heat.

Speaking at an F1 race in Miami during the playoffs, Butler insinuated that, if he was healthy, the Heat would have beat the Celtics. Pat Riley, the team's president, criticized Butler for his comments in an end-of-season press conference and suggested that he needs to show he can be more durable next season to warrant a contract extension.

Jaime Jaquez's Impressive Rookie Season

Jaime Jaquez Jr., the Heat's first-round pick, 18th overall, in the 2023 NBA Draft, was a major bright spot for Miami this season. The 23-year-old small forward finished his rookie season with 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in voting for Sixth Man of the Year. He had a season-best performance against the 76ers on Christmas Day, scoring 31 points and adding 10 rebounds.

Jaquez, who earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors in November and December, said he plans to work on his defense and three-point shooting in the offseason.

Potential Offseason Moves

Although there are concerns about Butler's durability and age, Riley clarified that the team has no intention of trading him in the offseason. Miami likely will make some changes, however. ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, in April, said the Heat may look to acquire an All-Star-caliber player in the offseason to pair with Adebayo and Butler. Donovan Mitchell, an All-Star guard with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is a player who could be available in the offseason. Miami has also been linked to Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso and Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart.

Miami has the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.