National Basketball Association

Roundtable predictions: Will the Miami Heat make the playoffs?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 11, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Will the Miami Heat make the playoffs? Will Justise Winslow shoot better than 33 percent? Who will lead the Heat in scoring? Will Hassan Whiteside be an All-Star? Will Goran Dragic finish the season on the team? The All U Can Heat staff weighs in.

Will the Miami Heat make the playoffs, and what will their final record be?

Ehsan Kassim (@Ehsan_Kassim): The Heat will go 35-47 this season, missing the playoffs by at least 5-6 games (41-41 will probably be the 8th seed). They will however be competitive most of the season, giving fits to opponents because of that defense. With the team looking like a longshot at the trade deadline in February, they will ultimately become sellers, including dealing Goran Dragic (more on that below).

Chris Posada (@CPoTweetsStuff): Assuming no Dragic deal, I’ll go 43-37. If he’s dealt, then it’ll likely 32-50. If there’s one thing an Erik Spolestra team will do well is play defense. That’ll be where it begins for them, and they have plenty to be encouraged about on that end of the court. As for the offense, I think the pieces on this team fits better than last year’s group, so it’ll really matter how well the kids improve. Dragic and Whiteside should carry the load, so Winslow/Richardson/Tyler Johnson won’t have a lot of pressure on their shoulders to have to do all the work.

Simon Smith (@SimonABenedict): The Heat will make the playoffs with a 47-35 record. This may sound high, but I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see this number higher. The Heat finished last season with a 19-10 record in the absence of Chris Bosh. That is a 54-win pace. Whilst Dwyane Wade has also departed, he possessed the fifth highest usage rate in the league last season and would have certainly held the team back from their current approach – running, speading the floor and shooting from deep. With potentially two first-time all-stars on the roster, the Heat could definitely surprise a lot of people this season.

Allana Tachauer (@AllanaTachauer): I refuse to give a final record prediction, because I’m terrible at these things and know it’ll then come back to bite me. The Heat will absolutely make the playoffs though. First off, it’s the East. Second, the team is sadly already used to playing without Bosh. Losing Wade will certainly be an adjustment, but with Dragic and Whiteside leading a solid group of young talent…I think people will be pleasantly surprised by just how resilient Miami can be.

Cory Sanning (@SanningNBA): The Heat will go 40-42 and miss the playoffs by a very narrow margin. While I fully expect them to take strides and be competitive this year, the postseason just seems a bit out of reach for a team that just lost nearly 40% of its total offense. Not to mention the void of veteran leadership across the board can not to be immediately replaced. Niether can a certain name. (cough…Dwyane Wade…cough)

Kristopher Keaton (@kmkeaton2): I think 41-41 seems more than fair. I’m not the biggest believer in Goran Dragic, but maybe being the primary ball-handler will benefit him this year. Also, relying on Hassan Whiteside to be the guy scares me immensely. Seeing Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson blossom will be nice to watch, though. Outside of that, everything seems pretty average at best for this season.

Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg): As excited as I am for this team, it’s not about winning this season. The No. 1 priority for the Heat is developing this young core, and that means letting them make mistakes. Over 82 games, they’ll make plenty. They’ll win 35 games and miss the playoffs, but that’s fine! We’ll be even more optimistic about the Heat this time next year, with another lottery pick on the roster.

May 5, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow (20) works on his shot prior to playing Toronto Raptors in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Over/under for Justise Winslow’s three-point percentage this season: 33.5%

Ehsan Kassim: Under. I don’t see Winslow shooting significantly worse than that mark, but he shot 27 percent last year and 33.5 percent would be a significant jump from that. I’ll project he shoots around 30 percent.

Chris Posada: Under, but barely. I’ll say around 32%. He shot 36% from three in the preseason, so the small-sample inspires a bit of hope. I think he’ll have more of a role on offense than just standing in the corner. He’ll likely be attacking more, so I expect him to be more active with the ball.

Simon Smith: Under. He has shown some promise in the preseason, hitting at 35.7 percent over six games. But over a much larger sample size, it remains to be seen if he can become a consistent threat from downtown. Low-30’s would be my prediction.

Allana Tachauer: Under, however not by a lot. Maybe 30%? He did step it up during preseason but I don’t think that overall he’ll make as big of a leap during the regular season, when it’s all said and done. Maybe in another year or so?

Cory Sanning: Under, but not by very much. 31 percent is my bar. While he excelled at knocking down shots from long range during the preseason(35.7 percent), a much larger volume of attempts make due for a decrease in that number. Anything beats his mere 27 percent rate from three point range last season.

Kristopher Keaton: I’ll play risky contrarian and say over. I don’t think he’s going to be a marksman of any kind, but I think he’ll improve by function of not taking many. If there is improvement in his shot, with fewer attempts, he can make over 33%

Wes Goldberg: Hey let’s be bold. Before the All-Star break it’ll be under, around 30 percent. Winslow will pull a Josh Richardson and figure out his shot after the ASB and shoot 38 percent down the final stretch at a higher volume to bring the average to 34 percent. Or near it.

Oct 18, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters (11) drives to the basket asOrlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) defends the play during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 103-77. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Heat’s top three scorers this season will be…

Ehsan Kassim: 1. Hassan Whiteside, 2. Goran Dragic, 3. Justise Winslow. I believe Winslow takes a significant step up this season. He is going to have the ball in his hands more and we saw last year he can drive and get to the line when needed. Winslow was regulated to a spot-up shooter last season, which is not his game at all. With more chances to settle into his game, Winslow breaks out for Miami. I love how prepared Winslow sounds when he talks about the upcoming season. The other two are pretty obvious choices.

Chris Posada: Whiteside, Dragic, Tyler Johnson. The first two are obvious, as the offense will run through them. Johnson is a wild card, but his mindset is to be aggressive and he showed that in the preseason. Per 36 minutes, of the players that made the roster, he was second behind Whiteside at 19.4 points per game. And for a guy that’s going to make $50 million, he’s likely going to be playing with a chip on his shoulder to prove he’s worth that deal.

Simon Smith: 1. Hassan Whiteside; 2. Goran Dragic; 3. Dion Waiters. Judging from the preseason, Whiteside and Dragic appear set to be the cornerstones of the Heat offence. Waiters, meanwhile, is now 24 and entering his fifth season in the league. This is an ideal situation for him to thrive and demonstrate his considerable talent.

Allana Tachauer: Obviously Whiteside and Dragic are one and two, but number three is certainly an interesting question. I have a weird amount of faith in Waiters right now though, for whatever reason. He’s hungry to start a new chapter of his career, and I think Miami may turn out to be the perfect place for him. On top of that he’s both young, but has enough experience under his belt to hold his own. D.W. 2.0, here we come?

Cory Sanning: 1. Hassan Whiteside 2. Goran Dragic and number three (drumroll please) will be none other than Justise Winslow himself. Reverted to no more than a spot-up shooter last season, the absence of Wade will open up a truck load of opportunities for the former lottery pick, who’s proven numerous times he can effectively make plays with the ball in his hands. Expect Winslow to break out in a big way.

Kristopher Keaton: I’m going to go with Dragic/Whiteside/Waiters. Although he’s not always efficient, Waiters can score in bunches at times. I think he’ll be called on to score more this year than he was in OKC last year.

Wes Goldberg: Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic will be the core of the offense and therefore score the most points. There won’t be many games in which they play that they won’t be among the top three for the Heat. While I see both Dion Waiters and Tyler Johnson thriving with the second unit, I think Josh Richardson will become the third wheel of the starting offense and make a bunch of three-pointers off of Dragic and (hopefully) Whiteside kick outs. I’ll go with Richardson.

Oct 21, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) controls the ball around Philadelphia 76ers forward Richaun Holmes (22) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Philadelphia 76ers defeat the Miami Heat 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Will Hassan Whiteside make the All-Star Game?

Ehsan Kassim: I believe so. He’s the number one option for Miami and should put up 20 points with double-digit rebounds on a nightly basis. I even expect Whiteside to gain a couple of MVP votes at the end of the season.

Chris Posada: Yes. He could have been one last year and he was lower down the Heat’s totem pole. He’s going to be front and center for the Heat, and his contract will have eyes on him. If he’s at 18 and 13 or something like that, he’s a lock.

Simon Smith: Definitely. With no all-stars currently on the roster, Whiteside appears set to change that. He was dominate in the preseason, with the Heat making him a much more focal point of the offence. More touches on offence should mean a happier and even more engaged Whiteside on the defensive end, which will be great news for the Heat and Whiteside’s all-star prospects.

Allana Tachauer: He darn sure better! I mean look, he should have made the team last year. He’s only improved since then, not to mention is now the Heat’s biggest star. Something is seriously wrong with the league if he doesn’t.

Cory Sanning: At the price tag he’s got, he better. Whiteside now has the freedom and spacing to put up monster numbers, and I believe he will. Not only is he he biggest star on Miami’s roster, his game just keeps improving with every year. He’ll be selected as a reserve.

Kristopher Keaton: It’s certainly a strong possibility but I don’t know if he does. I believe Horford is going to make it, and with Tyronn Lue likely to coach the game, Kevin Love may find his way in as well.

Wes Goldberg: He will, and you know where All Star Weekend is this season? NEW ORLEANS. Whiteside’s Snapchat is gonna be LIT!

Oct 11, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) drives to the basket past Brooklyn Nets forward Trevor Booker (35) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

At the end of the season, Goran Dragic will be playing for the ________.

Ehsan Kassim: Houston Rockets. Dragic returning to the Rockets to play in Mike D’Antoni’s offense would be a thrill to watch. The Rockets, even after losing Dwight Howard, should be a force to be reckoned with in the West. Adding Dragic at the trade deadline will help them challenge the Warriors, but they ultimately fall short.

Chris Posada: I have the Heat winning 43 games, so I’ll say Miami. But let’s say they don’t, then I’ll go with Dallas or Houston. Kings will likely kick the tires, but they won’t have a pick to trade until 2020 at the earliest. Both the Mavs and Rockets have flexibility with picks to offer, plus could use an upgrade at point guard.

Simon Smith: Miami Heat. Dragic will excel this season, and will be competing alongside Whiteside for an all-star debut. All things going well, Dragic will play at such a high level that any offers the Heat receive for Dragic will be shot down immediately.

Allana Tachauer: Hopefully Miami. I absolutely do not want to trade him, for tanking purposes or otherwise. Obviously by the trade deadline, things could end up going left… But I think that this season, will really be Goran’s time to shine. He can finally run the offense his way, and has young enough guys behind him to keep up #TEAMDRAGON

Cory Sanning: Miami Heat. It’s hard seeing Dragic struggle this season. Wade (8th last season in total usage rate) is gone, and the Dragon is now the primary ball handler. All-NBA Third team just three seasons ago, he will excel in the open court and regain some of that swagger he carried in his Phoenix days. Who knows? Maybe he’ll suit up alongside Whiteside in New Orleans come February.

Kristopher Keaton: Dallas Mavericks. It’s just hunch but Mark Cuban went hard after Mike Conley to stabilize his PG position and add some tempo to the roster. Dragic would do both of those things as well at a cheaper price tag. I don’t know how likely it would be, but if Dragic isn’t long for Miami, Cuban might get involved.

Wes Goldberg: He’ll be playing for the hearts of Miami Heat fans everywhere, because they will have fallen in love with the up-tempo point guard from Slovenia.