MIAMI — It almost stands as oxymoronic, how a team with a roster this stagnant can have so many questions. Welcome to the 2024-25 Miami Heat, a unit with many great unknowns and surprisingly limited answers on the eve of training camp. With that in mind, ahead of Monday’s media day at Kaseya Center and Tuesday’s start of training camp at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas, a look at 10 burning questions for a team coming off a lukewarm offseason.
1. Jimmy Butler. No, not a question.
But assuredly the starting place to any answers about the coming season , as in: – Will there be more than last season’s 60 appearances? – Will there be a return of Playoff Jimmy, after being reduced to postseason spectator last season? – Will the contract situation overshadow the presence on the court, with Butler eligible to both opt out at season’s end or to sign an extension prior to next summer? Since his 2019 arrival, there have been ample narratives regarding Butler, a player who seemingly thrives amid conjecture. But this is different. This is Jimmy Butler at 35.
This is Jimmy Butler in a contract year. There is no greater unknown that has to become known on this roster. As always, expect a thrill ride.
2. Will Bam Adebayo remain ascendant? As the contribution to Olympic gold on Team USA showed, the eighth-year big man has become one of the most respected presences in the game, acknowledged as such by his teammates at the Paris Games. Now, with Butler also moving on in age .