Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has made it very clear that he’s determined to lead the team to a championship, but Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t seem like a believer.
The ESPN commentator thinks the Heat can’t win a championship with their current roster.
Jeff Van Gundy scoffing at Butler's stated goal to win a championship. "They can't win a championship with this roster"… But they're not bad enough to get a high pick. So this is where we are.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) January 7, 2023
Van Gundy’s take is harsh, but there may be some Heat fans that agree with him.
The Heat made the NBA Finals in 2020 and were one playoff victory away from getting there again in 2022. The problem now is that the team didn’t make any major additions to its roster in the 2022 offseason. That decision has seemingly impacted the team negatively thus far.
The good news for Miami is that some of its young stars have taken major steps forward this season, particularly Bam Adebayo. The 25-year-old is currently enjoying the best season of his career, which is something that does raise the Heat’s ceiling.
Adebayo is averaging 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and defending at an elite level. On the offensive end, he’s been significantly more aggressive this season than he was in years past, which is something Miami has to be thrilled about.
Tyler Herro is also having a strong campaign in his first season as a full-time starter. He’s averaging 21.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Unless the Heat make a splash before the trade deadline, they’re going to have to hope that their internal development ends up being enough to get them over the hump this season. That might not be a reasonable expectation, which is presumably why Van Gundy feels the way he does.
Miami has been linked to several key players in trade rumors, but it remains to be seen how aggressive the organization will be in the days and weeks leading up to the Feb. 9 trade deadline. Some fans have probably grown frustrated with the team’s lack of movement via trade in recent years.
The Heat are currently 21-19 on the season and would land in the play-in tournament if the postseason started today.
