MIAMI, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 08: Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at Kaseya Center on October 08, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
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The Miami Heat are 13-6 and occupy the third seed in the Eastern Conference standings. Yes, it’s early, and the East is wide open this season. However, even at the campaign’s onset, it’s not where most prognosticators expected to find them.
Adding to how impressive a start Miami is off to is that Tyler Herro missed the team’s first 17 games. Fitting right in to an offensive approach dramatically different than the one he had previously been operating in, the former All-Star generated 24 points in a 106-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks in his season debut. He followed that up with a 29-point performance in a 106-103 victory vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.
How well Herro’s acclimating should come as no surprise. The Heat’s offensive attack de-emphasizes pick-and-rolls, keeping them to a minimum. Now, there’s far more cutting within a system built around pace, driving, and spacing the floor. Like his teammates, the former Sixth Man of the Year can excel within that construct.
Another essential factor in its success is the evolution of Bam Adebayo. Miami’s star center averaged 0.2 three-point attempts in his first seven years in the Association. Last season, he launched only 2.8 per contest. Now he’s hoisting 5.2 per game and converting them at nearly a 34 percent clip. It’s an individual evolution that is making his team’s offense that much more challenging to contain.
As Herro adapts, Adebayo evolves, and a new philosophy fuels the Heat’s offense, head coach Erik Spoelstra explained the root of what prompted that change.
Why the Miami Heat needed an offensive overhaul
Miami is generating 122.9 points per contest. That is the second most in the NBA this season. The only team producing more is the Denver Nuggets. Led by Nikola Jokic, they’re registering 124.5 per tilt. The former has also gone from 27th in pace last season to leading the league in that category this year, per NBA.com.
Erik Spoelstra recently explained the simple driving force responsible for the Heat’s new offensive attack and why it was time for a change.
“We were absolutely outclassed and embarrassed in a really bad way in the playoffs,” Miami’s bench boss recently cited when it came to what prompted his team’s new offensive construct. He was pointing to a lopsided first-round series last postseason. The Cleveland Cavaliers easily dispatched them in a four-game sweep.
“It was the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever been a part of,” stated Spoelstra. “The locker room felt the same way, and we had plenty of time to re-evaluate things during the offseason. We were done, and it wasn’t even May, and we were done. So we had plenty of time to work on things, and then we just want to be open-minded. The first day of camp, I said I just wanted them to embrace the unknown, and I viewed that as a good thing.”
That mentality has allowed Miami Heat to maximize its personnel, evolve into an offensive juggernaut, and defy expectations. Without losing sight of how early in the season it is, it’s the latest example of why Spoelstra is one of basketball’s best coaches this century. It also illustrates why this franchise enjoys the view from the peak more than it goes through the valleys.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbykrivitsk/2025/11/29/erik-spoelstra-shares-what-sparked-the-miami-heats-major-change/
