In recent months, Tyler Herro has impressed a lot of admirers. Over the summer, he has undoubtedly improved in a number of areas of his game and appears to be playing with a chip on his shoulder. On a night when Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo combined for 12 points, he was among the Heat’s better players, even in their season-opening defeat to the Orlando Magic. At the beginning of this season, however, if the Heat’s plans don’t work out, the organization may begin researching other options.

One of them may be giving up a significant portion of their future in exchange for a chance to win right now. Herro and a few other players, as well as draft selections, can help with it. Jonah Kubicek of The Sporting News has proposed a trade in which the Heat would acquire Atlanta Hawks forward Trae Young. “The Hawks will demand a future-driven package in exchange, assuming Atlanta is willing to trade their best player,” Kubicek wrote.

Miami’s top players are rookie Kel’el Ware (20), Duncan Robinson (30), and Tyler Herro (24). To get Young to leave Atlanta, Miami would need to sweeten the deal with first-round draft selections in 2029 and 2031.

If the Heat can acquire Young before to the 2025 trade deadline, Kubicek thinks they will be able to compete with the Boston Celtics on an equal footing with the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers. Conversely, the Hawks would have to start over. Young is among the NBA’s top players for the future.

He is scoring 34 points, dishing out 11 assists, and pulling down 6.5 rebounds on average after the season’s first two games. Although Young leaves a lot to be desired on the other end of the floor, Erik Spoelstra’s Heat are the squad most suited to conceal his shortcomings or even strengthen them.

Erik Spoelstra criticizes the Heat following their brutal season opener against the Magic.

On the same day Pat Riley’s name was honored on the floor at the Kaseya Center, the Miami Heat fell 116-97 to their in-state rival, the Orlando Magic, in Wednesday night’s season opener. One key takeaway from the Heat’s loss was their defensive struggles, an area that has traditionally been a strength for the team. Head coach Erik Spoelstra and others addressed the poor defensive performance following the defeat.

Despite losing a key player in Caleb Martin, Miami’s defense ended in the top five previous season. Despite this, the club remained active during the preseason, averaging at least 15 steals per game, with just five in the first game. After the game, Spoelstra told the reporters straight out that the team’s “activity level” was lacking in their defensive effort.

Erik Spoelstra on the downfall of the Heat in the second half.

“The activity level wasn’t there…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/gD35djUIHJ

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 24, 2024

“No,” Spoelstra answered, “the level of activity wasn’t there.” “You can sense it when we’re active; you don’t need statistics to see it. Even though it might not result in thefts, we didn’t feel the same way tonight as we have over the past two or three weeks.

Some people may roll their eyes at the term “Heat Culture” because it has been used repeatedly in reference to the team, but it is undeniably true, particularly when it comes to the defensive end. No one else can match the team’s defensive intensity, which has been a recurring theme for years, but Orlando did just that on Wednesday night.

Bam Adebayo of the Heat explains why there wasn’t much “activity.”

Although the game was very tight in the first half, things began to go south in the second half when the Magic scored 39 points in the third period, which gave the Heat 18 points back. As Adebayo notes after the game, he also gave credit to the “butterflies” that the squad could have had because it was the first game, suggesting that either the defense was dictated by the bad offense or the other way around.

Adebayo remarked, “I feel like activity just died down.” “First game butterflies, you know. Everyone aspires to perform well and act morally. Therefore, we should focus on establishing that identity first and the attack subsequently.

Adebayo would have a poor game to begin the season, scoring nine points and pulling down five rebounds. He only hit one field goal in five attempts, and he scored seven of his ten free throws. Jimmy Butler, who finished with three points on one of eight attempts, had an even more bizarre performance. Both players are trying to lead a new offense that is speedier and concentrates on long-range and restricted shots.

Tyler Herro of the Heat has a poor first effort.

Tyler Herro, who finished the game with 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists, was one player who was reliable and known for being able to play any position on the Heat. He would talk about the defensive end of the ball and how Orlando was “too comfortable,” thus the goal is to increase the previously mentioned activity level.

“I mean, just being active, getting deflections, and getting our hands on the ball,” Herro stated. “Aim to think the game at a higher level and keep our thoughts ahead of the curve. We’re playing one pass ahead, which allows us to move into the lanes and, as I mentioned, get steals or deflections. Simply put, they were too cozy. I believe it began on one of the entry passes in the opening play of the second half. And that sort of sets the tone for the second half of the game as well as the entire game. Thus, we will be better. We believe that what we’re doing is correct. We have the opportunity to keep forming positive behaviors. This is the season’s opening game. Nobody is taking 82-0.

The Heat were “overpowered” on both offense and defense.

The Heat will have more opportunities to win against the Magic, particularly their great player Paolo Banchero, as they attempt to recover from a challenging Eastern Conference this season. As Spoelstra noted when discussing how the squad was “overwhelmed,” the former first overall choice had a fantastic game against Miami on Wednesday, scoring 33 points, pulling down 11 rebounds, and shooting 50 percent from the field.

“I thought we started the half getting decent looks, but they completely overwhelmed us after our missed shots,” Spoelstra said. “We had the right looks, but four of them were from three. If we had hit two or three of those, it might have slowed them down, but we missed, and they just kept pushing it on us. This team really defends well, especially around the rim. After that, it came down to matchups, transition offense, or rebounding, with them attacking us in those areas.”

“To say that Banchero was fantastic tonight would be an understatement,” Spoelstra remarked. However, he pushed a number of things out of our defense, so we need to strengthen that. If we do, we’ll be better. Furthermore, offensively, we must have faith in some of the projects we have been working on. You know, it hasn’t looked like this during preseason. That’s a very strong defense, of course. It is a difficult five-point defense. They are really active, so you have to have even greater faith in what we do.

“To say that Banchero was fantastic tonight would be an understatement,” Spoelstra remarked. However, he pushed a number of things out of our defense, so we need to strengthen that. If we do, we’ll be better. Furthermore, offensively, we must have faith in some of the projects we have been working on. You know, it hasn’t looked like this during preseason. That’s a very strong defense, of course. It is a difficult five-point defense. They are really active, so you have to have even greater faith in what we do.

Erik Spoelstra gives his reaction to the Heat dropping the opener against the Magic and about their opponent’s defense.

“They just absolutely overwhelmed us…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/pLfrDtQXt1

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 24, 2024

Terry Rozier of the Heat on how bad defense results from bad offense
The Heat’s starting five and their ongoing story of developing chemistry could be blamed for the lackluster performance. Despite the highs and lows of the preseason, this was their first significant game together, and it is clear that both sides of the ball still need improvement.

Star Terry Rozier, who concluded the game with 19 points, led the team on five for 15 shooting, six rebounds, and five assists, expressed the same views. He would reiterate the Heat’s phrase of the day, “active,” claiming that their defensive performance was a result of their ineffective offensive play.

Rozier stated, “I believe we let our offense dictate our defense.” The score exploded as soon as they began making shots, and they didn’t turn around. We need to be more proactive, and I am the first to take responsibility for both attack and defense.

Even if every team’s fan base will respond negatively, it’s crucial to keep in mind that Miami still has 81 games left and hopes to get some attention this season. They are off to a 0-1 start and will try to put a win in their record when they travel to play the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.