Miami Heat Continue To Drop Down Post All-Star Break Power Rankings

After the All-Star break, the Miami Heat are hoping to get their season back on track.

The team is 2-5 through the month of February. Last week prior to All-Star Weekend, the team sat at No. 17 in NBA.com’s power rankings. This week, they have dropped down to No. 20.

This is the lowest the Heat have been ranked throughout a season full of ups-and-downs. After the blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade, the team is ready to regroup as they hunt for a spot in the postseason.

The team’s rough season was further analyzed by longtime NBA writer John Schuhmann.

“As they stand now, this is the Heat’s worst season in the last 10 years (since 2014-15), both regarding winning percentage and point differential per 100 possessions,” Schuhmann wrote. “They have a top-10 defense for what would be the fifth straight year but are one of only eight teams that have allowed more points per 100 possessions than they did last season.”

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Heat look to implement the new additions to their rotation. Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson were the two main players received in the Butler trade from the Golden State Warriors. Davion Mitchell, acquired in a separate deal, also looks to make an impact.

The Heat currently sit three games below .500 with a 25-28 record. They sit at the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, three games back from a top-six seed to avoid a spot in the Play-In Tournament.

The Heat embark on a three-game road trip with two of those games occurring this week. The team travels to Toronto on Friday night before facing off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening.

HEAT STARS EXPRESS OPTIMISM FOR REST OF SEASON

The Miami Heat’s morale has reached a low point.

The team is 2-5 throughout the month of February. The All-Star break struck at a perfect time for the Heat to figure things out. Many of the personnel hope to get back on track as the team fights for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. One player who expressed optimism to the media was Jaime Jaquez Jr.

“Immediate team goal is to get back on a winning streak,” Jaquez said in a Rising Stars postgame interview. “That’s number one. I don’t think we finished the break at all the way we wanted to. So coming back after the break, it’s a new mentality that we have to have as a team.”

Tyler Herro also spoke regarding how winning Saturday’s Three-Point Contest gives the Heat something positive to think of.

“Honestly, I think the record isn’t what we want it to be, but I feel like there’s a breath of fresh air around our locker room, our arena, our city,” Herro said after his victory.

“I think it’s well before this trophy was won. I think there’s a breath of fresh air just around the whole organization, and I’m happy to represent us and be here for our organization and our city, just to represent and win this competition.”

The Heat currently sit three games below .500 with a 25-28 record. Now, the Heat find themselves just outside the playoff picture at the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference. That is still good for a play-in spot as it stands but the Heat’s potential sixth consecutive playoff appearance could be in jeopardy if the team doesn’t turn it around.

REID ENDORSES BILLY DONOVAN FOR HALL OF FAME

Eric Reid has been the voice of the Miami Heat since 1991 as the play-by-play announcer.

Prior to joining the Heat, Reid started his broadcasting career as the radio voice for Providence College’s men’s basketball team from 1982 to 1988. During his six seasons with the Friars, he called games featuring Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, who played for Providence from 1983 to 1987. Donovan was a key player under head coach Rick Pitino and helped lead the Friars to the Final Four in 1987.

Donovan was recently named a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Along with his announcement as a finalist for the Hall of Fame, Providence College will be retiring Donovan’s jersey on Saturday night. Reid praised Donovan and his accomplishments in an X post Saturday afternoon.

Donovan has been a coach for almost three decades. He started his coaching career as an assistant under Pitino at Kentucky before getting the head coaching nod at Marshall in 1994. After two seasons, he left Marshall to become the head coach at Florida, where he would lead the team to two NCAA championships along with two other Final Four appearances.

He left college basketball to join the NBA in 2015. He joined the Oklahoma City Thunder to coach Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook before parting ways with the franchise in 2020. Since 2020, Donovan has been the head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

Donovan’s storied career is an important one and Reid can say he has been following his career since the very beginning.

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

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