"What has really fueled this ascension, though, is Miami's bench becoming a legitimate game-breaker. While head coach Erik Spoelstra has always been a mastermind in terms of maximizing his roster, his work with the second unit so far has been simply spectacular. Last season, the Heat were a wholly mediocre 15th in bench scoring at 35.9 points per game. Now, though, they've rocketed all the way to second at 51.7 points, production buoyed by a pristine 55.9/38.5/73.3 collective shooting slash."
"If Miami's bench keeps this up, then it's time to recalibrate expectations for this team. Before digging too deep into this, let's start one with obvious (but necessary) caveat: This sample size is tiny. And maybe entirely meaningless in the big picture. The Heat are three steps into an 82-game marathon. Their 32-point thrashing of the Memphis Grizzlies-who might be more future-focused after this summer's Desmond Bane blockbuster-is doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to their most positive stats."
Miami opened 2-1 in 2025-26 with several surprises: Jaime Jaquez Jr. reemerged as a core piece, the revamped offense is producing efficiently, and the club beat a strong Eastern opponent. The primary catalyst has been a transformed bench that has become a legitimate game-breaker under Erik Spoelstra's management. Bench scoring jumped from 35.9 (15th) last season to 51.7 points per game (2nd), with a collective 55.9/38.5/73.3 shooting slash. If sustained, bench depth could mask the lack of a clear superstar and elevate expectations, though the sample is tiny and influenced by a 32-point win over Memphis.
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