The Miami Heat are off to a fast start to the season. Heading in with some lowly expectations, the Heat are 12-6, and third in the Eastern Conference to start the season, causing some to believe that head coach Erik Spoelstra could earn Coach of the Year honors.
Sports Illustrated’s Rachel Nichols recently revealed that Spoelstra would be one of her picks to earn the award, citing the massive overhaul in the team’s offensive philosophy this year.
“He’s the best coach,” Nichols said. “He was willing to rip up their play style. He’s the 1st person when LeBron was there to bring in position-less basketball… now he’s doing the no pick-and-rolls sorta free-form offense, it’s amazing.”
After going from one of the slowest, and lowest-scoring offenses in the NBA over the past couple of seasons, the Heat have opened up this year as the league’s best offense, leading all NBA teams with 124.9 points per game. To make it even more impressive, the team’s leading scorer from last season, Tyler Herro, missed the first 17 games of the season while he recovered from ankle surgery.
The Heat will look to carry this momentum into the rest of the season as they aim to get back to the postseason in 2026. After a disappointing playoff result last year, the Heat are on a vengeance tour to start the 2025-26 season.
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