The Miami Heat did not "run it back" this time

There's an assumption that the Miami Heat run it back every year.

It has become such a part of fan folklore recently that Heat president Pat Riley even joked about it at his annual end-of-season press conference, using the word "RIB-BIT" with the first three letters standing for, yes, "Run It Back."

Yet, as the 2025-26 season starts, only nine of the Heat's 17 players -- 14 on guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals -- are the same as those who broke training camp one year ago.

That's Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Dru Smith, Keshad Johnson, Pelle Larsson and Terry Rozier.

Gone? Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson, Alec Burks, among others. Robinson's exit leaves Adebayo, Jovic and Herro as the only three Heat players were around for the Heat's surprising run to the NBA Finals against Denver way back in.... 2023.

Some of the players on the current roster arrived last midseason, in concert with Butler's departure. That includes Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins. Norman Powell was added in a trade for Love and Kyle Anderson (who also came over midseason, so he doesn't figure in this exercise). All three two-ways are new: Vlad Goldin, Myron Gardner and Jahmir Young.

Simone Fontecchio arrived in exchange for Robinson, who was signed-and-traded to Detroit. And Kasparas Jakucionis was drafted in the first round, at No. 20 overall.

Will the Heat be better than last season, when they finished 37-45 amid considerable turmoil, then won two road play-in games against Chicago and Atlanta -- only to be swept by Cleveland in the first round? Hard to say. But they are considerably different. That can't be argued otherwise.

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