There are questions about the Miami Heat, but even so, after beating out the Boston Celtics for Giannis Antetokounmpo, they'll be a threat in the East again. The Heat always knew how to get under the Celtics' skin, and part of why they were able to keep pace with them over and over again was getting contributions from the unlikeliest of players.
Someone who fit that bill was Gabe Vincent, whose breakout in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals played an undeniable role in Miami's win over Boston. In six games, he averaged 15.8 points while shooting 48.5% from the field and 51.6% from three.
That series truly felt like fate conspiring against the Celtics, as Caleb Martin was also putting up numbers he hasn't come close to replicating. There's one commonality: they were playing under Erik Spoelstra.
Spoelstra just has this way of getting players like Vincent, whose value has crashed and burned since ditching South Beach, to play like game-changers at the best possible time. Because it has worked before with Vincent, him re-joining the Heat would be bad news for the Celtics.
Heat are considering a reunion with Vincent
NBA Insider Marc Stein revealed that Vincent is among the players Miami is considering bringing back with their last roster spot. There hasn't been much intel besides that, but if this is going somewhere, it's trouble.
Despite adding Antetokounmpo, it's tough to say if the Heat are better than the Celtics. They have added some help around him, but not much, especially when thinking about what they lost. There's no harm in adding someone like Klay Thompson, but he doesn't help nearly as much as he used to.
An aging veteran like Thompson doesn't compare to Tyler Herro or Norm Powell. It's okay to let players like those walk to make room for the Greek Freak, but not if there aren't adequate replacements for them.
That's also why Vincent rejoining them is a little scary. He may not be the quality of player that Herro or Powell are, but his success under Spoelstra could offset those losses. Of course, if Miami believed that, they would have pounced on him immediately this summer, and they didn't, which further demonstrates how much his value has cratered.
The fact that he has remained a free agent shows the league has felt the same about him. Even so, Miami has a long history of being able to beat Boston despite a talent deficit because of miracles like Vincent. If this union happens again, the Celtics should not take the Heat lightly if they were already.
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