The Miami Heat are ready to open their 2023-24 season against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday as the NBA world gets a fresh look at the reigning Eastern Conference champions.
There are still some mysteries about what the team’s rotation will look like this season, but head coach Erik Spoelstra recently dropped an interesting piece of information, revealing that folks can expect a “bigger rotation than typical.”
Spoelstra’s comments may indicate that the Heat will roll with two bigs on the floor in some situations.
There has been an expectation among some fans that Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin and Bam Adebayo will be a commonly used lineup for the Heat this season, but if the Heat want to feature more size at times, players like Kevin Love, Thomas Bryant and Orlando Robinson (in addition to Adebayo) could hear their names called often.
Miami may need to get creative this season in order to close the gap on some of the other contenders in the Eastern Conference. The Heat, of course, had a quiet offseason while teams like the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks made key additions.
Spoelstra has certainly earned the right to experiment with different rotations, and the hope in South Florida is that the veteran coach will once again be able to maximize the talent on Miami’s roster to a degree that results in another deep playoff run.
The Heat have a winnable game on Wednesday against an undermanned Pistons team but will quickly be thrown into the fire this season against quality opponents. Two of Miami’s first four games will come against the Celtics and Bucks.
There’s certainly no shortage of doubters when it comes to the Heat’s title chances this season, but that’s not going to stop the squad from doing everything in its power to bring NBA title No. 4 to the city of Miami.
The Heat and Pistons are scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday in Miami’s first game since the 2023 NBA Finals.
