Ex-Miami Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy expressed his pessimism about his former team’s chances to compete in the revamped Eastern Conference in the 2024-25 NBA campaign, saying that they’re nothing but a play-in team.
“I really don’t understand what’s going on there,” Van Gundy stated via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “They’re really a win-now team, which I respect, and they haven’t given, put a roster around there that has a chance. I think they got lulled into a false sense of security by the run to the Finals two years ago.”
“And it was a great run, but they didn’t have a great team, and they didn’t have a great year. That’s not a very good roster. Obviously, if Jimmy (Butler) will be able to play 70 games, maybe it’s a little different,” he added.
After an improbable Finals run in 2022-23, the Miami Heat suffered a first-round exit at the hands of the Boston Celtics last season, though they were without Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck).
Jimmy Butler is rounding into form for the Miami Heat
If the Miami Heat are going to make some noise in 2024-25 to prove their former coach wrong, it’ll likely be on the back of a productive and healthier year from Jimmy Butler, who is looking spry in preseason.
Current head coach Erik Spoelstra recently praised Jimmy Butler during their 120-111 preseason victory against the Atlanta Hawks, describing the six-time NBA All-Star as a “super unique” player after he recorded 24 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals on 8-for-11 shooting.
“He’s a super unique player,” Spoelstra said about Butler via Zachary Weinberger of ClutchPoints. “You know, how he can do both things at such an elite level, and doing it just 24 minutes. You know, each one of the starters have had their moments, you know, in the preseason at some point and Jimmy just wanted to make sure that, you know, he had a couple moments tonight.”
