Oct 17, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro, center, looks on from the bench as he continues to heal from foot surgery at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Are there 19 teams better than the Miami Heat this year?

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI | By Major Passons | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 7:00 PM ET

It is no secret that the Miami Heat are not on par with the elite of the NBA. The Big 3 was 11 years ago and the Heat have not won a title since that core. They have made several finals runs and other deep play off runs since, but the goal is still to bring the NBA Championship back to Miami. Most are skeptical the Heat will even come close this year and that is no clearer than being ranked 20th in the CBS Sports power rankings. Not only are the Heat ranked 20th, but in an extremely weak Eastern conference they are ranked 9th in the power rankings. Unfortunately for Miami this is the general consensus, simply mediocre. Now the Power ranking seems to be affected by Tyler Herro’s injury but how much does Herro missing the start of the year change the ranking? Probably not much at all. He is a great player, but he does not fix all the holes the team has, nor does he fix the reason most people are down on Miami.

NBA Power Rankings: Knicks No. 2 behind OKC as new season begins, injuries already impacting Lakers
(By @ColinCBSSports)https://t.co/v4I0n1eBNP
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) October 20, 2025

There is a theme to most rankings out there when it comes to the Heat and it is not much of a compliment. The general consensus is that the Heat have several “good to really good” good players but no true stars. Certainly, no player that would fit a #1 type player that can lead a team to a title. They had Jimmy butler in recent years who elevated himself in the payoffs to this level or close to it, but Butler is famously not on the team anymore. Bam Adebayo is what I would consider a “star”, but he isn’t a #1, he is a perfect #2 on a team. Tyler Herro made his first All-Star team last season, but once again he isn’t a #1 type player and ideally would be the #3 on a championship team. Norman Powell had a career year last year and was gunning for an All-star spot, but again he is not a #1, and he would ideally be a #3 at best on a championship team. Now I want to be clear, these players, and ones I did not mention, are all very good NBA players that any team would benefit from having. The issue is they are not top 5 players, or even top 10 players, nor are they particularly close to being there. On top of not having a true #1, the Heat have several holes in their roster depth. They are relying on a lot of unknown to fill the gaps. Simply put, the Heat need every player on their team to play their best, and maybe beyond, to have a chance to contented for a Finals appearance much less to bring the NBA Championship back to Miami. So ultimately, the Miami Heat have numerous good players, a couple “really good” players but no superstar. And in case you haven’t noticed, you need a superstar to be a title contender. The hope for the Heat is that Adebayo, Herro, or Powell take that next step, but I would advise against holding your breath. The Heat have a long way to go to reach the top of the NBA world once again. Being ranked 20th is justified, now it is up to the players and coaches to prove it wrong.