The Heat (0-0) are one of several teams in the Eastern Conference in a transition period. After 13 years, they find themselves without the veteran leadership of Wade, who moved on to the Chicago Bulls in the offseason. The key piece that will keep Miami competitive will be Hassan Whiteside, who dominated off the boards last season, averaging 11.8 rebounds (third best in the league), in addition to 14.2 points and a league-leading 3.7 blocks. Whiteside commanded a king’s ransom from the club in free agency, signing a four-year, $98 million deal. The team hopes that he can continue the type of defensive prowess that made them the fifth ranked defensive unit in 2015-16. Sophomore Josh Richardson, who averaged 6.6 points and 1.4 assists in his rookie campaign, will be sidelined until early November after suffering a partially torn MCL over the summer. In addition, Chris Bosh remains in limbo with the club, and has three years remaining on his current deal despite being shelved, likely permanently, with lingering issues with his lungs. The Heat will return to American Airlines Arena on Friday to begin a three-game home stand.
After getting off to a hot start last season, the youth movement that energized Orlando (0-0) wilted down the stretch, with the team ultimately finishing 11th in the East. Summer saw some important acquisitions for the team, with the additions of Serge Ibaka from the Oklahoma City Thunder and free agent Bismack Biyombo from the Toronto Raptors. Ibaka finished his seventh and final season with OKC averaging 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Biyombo, meanwhile, was instrumental down the stretch for the Raptors, providing dominance at the rim in place of an injured Jonas Valanciunas. With the current situation with the Magic best described as a rebuild, the organization must now turn to new head coach Frank Vogel to aid in stringing together enough wins to keep them in the postseason hunt. On paper, there is a strong likelihood that both the Heat and Magic could be vying for a final Playoff seed come May.
