Podcast: Buzzing about some early season Heat topics with Herald columnist Barry Jackson
The NBA season is nearly a quarter of the way done, and the Miami Heat continues to perform like one of the best teams in the league.
By now, the Heat has a clear identity — Kyle Lowry powers a transition-happy offense, Tyler Herro hits tough shots in the midrange and Miami’s defense locks down pretty much everybody — and championship aspirations with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
After two months of David Wilson and Anthony Chiang yakking, we figured it’s time to change things up a little bit on the Heat Check podcast to break down a team that just keeps winning. This week, Miami Herald columnist Barry Jackson joins Wilson to buzz about all the defining topics from the early portion of this Heat season and dig into some of the minutiae he does best.
The topics aren’t unfamiliar this week, but the insights are. We hit on what has been most surprising about Miami’s hot start, what seems sustainable and what might not be, and what the Heat (12-7) might need to change in the second half, or come playoff time, to make a real run at the 2022 NBA Finals.
Other topics include wing Duncan Robinson’s ongoing shooting slump, the unlikely evolution of the Heat into one of the better rebounding teams in the league and whether Lowry has another level to hit as a possible go-to scorer. There’s also talk about guard Tyler Herro’s breakout season, wing Victor Oladipo’s X factor potential and the options for what Miami could do with its one remaining open roster spot.
At the end, we try to answer one big, existential question: What exactly is a title contender and is the Heat one? There are seven variables in play for Miami to reach contender status, Jackson argues, and every one seems pretty reasonable.
As always, please continue to rate, review and subscribe, and happy Thanksgiving!
