BOCA RATON, FLA. (WSVN) - The Miami Heat are back on the hardwood after reinventing the roster over an eventful offseason.
A day after the team trotted out with excited energy for NBA Media Day, the Heat traveled to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton to kick off training camp.
While they’re welcoming several new faces, including superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and surefire Hall of Famer Klay Thompson, the focus on establishing their patented Heat Culture is in full swing.
“We know what the deal is. That’s the good thing about this training camp, there’s great clarity on why we’re here and we don’t have to overtalk that, it’s understood,” said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
All that firepower added after last year’s disappointing season makes it very clear what every player’s goal is: winning the franchise’s fourth Larry O’Brien Trophy.
On paper, the additions of Antetokounmpo, a premiere individual player that forces defenses to collapse on his drives, and Thompson, one of the best 3-point shooters in league history, to pair with elite defensive anchor Bam Adebayo is a recipe success.
Nobody on the roster is expecting to be anointed for that, though.
“On paper is one thing but I’ve seen plenty of teams who had the ‘super team’ label not be a cohesive unit, and we know in basketball you’re only as good as the sum of all parts so, for us, it’s just about uplifting each other every day, realizing it’s gonna take all 15 of us to go where we want to,” said Thompson.
The 14-year veteran has had his share of success in the league.
Thompson currently sits at fourth all-time for career three-pointers made and previously formed the near-unstoppable “Splash Brothers” duo with Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors, which powered the team to four championships, including three in four years from 2015-2018 and another in 2022.
Despite having his basketball legacy locked already, the 36-year-old Thompson has plenty of motivation to keep contributing for a winning team.
That mission is shared by his new teammates, and they’ve started by building chemistry with each other and figuring out how best to maximize each of their skillsets.
“It’s a process. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s not gonna be perfect to start and we know that so I’m glad we’re out here working through it and also at the end we get to go against each other, compete and make each other better,” said Adebayo.
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