2020–21 Miami Heat season explained

The 2020–21 Miami Heat season was the 33rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Heat entered the season as both the defending Southeast Division and Eastern Conference champions. The season began just 72 days after the completion of the 2020 Finals, giving the Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers the shortest off-season in league history.^[1] With a win over the Boston Celtics 129–121, the Heat returned to the playoffs for the second straight year on May 11. They attempted to make back-to-back NBA Finals appearances for the first time since 2013 and 2014, but fell to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in the first round in a four-game sweep in a rematch of last season's Conference semifinals in which the Heat won in five games. This is the first time that the Heat were swept in the playoffs since 2007 which was also in the first round against the Chicago Bulls. It was also the first time since 2014 that Andre Iguodala missed the NBA Finals. Iguodala would return to the Golden State Warriors the following season after two seasons with the Heat.

Draft picks

See main article: article and 2020 NBA draft.

Standings

Conference

Notes

• z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
• c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
• y – Clinched division title
• x – Clinched playoff spot
• pb – Clinched play-in spot
• o – Eliminated from playoff contention
• * – Division leader

Game log

Preseason

|-style="background:#fcc;"| 1| December 14| New Orleans| | Tyler Herro (17)| Max Strus (8)| Bam Adebayo (8)| American Airlines Arena
| 0–1|-style="background:#cfc;"| 2| December 18| @ Toronto| | KZ Okpala (24)| Precious Achiuwa (15)| Goran Dragić (8)| Amalie Arena
| 1–1

Regular season

|-style="background:#fcc;"| 1| December 23| @ Orlando| | Bam Adebayo (25)| Bam Adebayo (11)| Butler, Dragić (7)| Amway Center
3,396| 0–1|-style="background:#cfc;"| 2| December 25| New Orleans| | Duncan Robinson (23)| Andre Iguodala (7)| Goran Dragić (9)| American Airlines Arena
0| 1–1|-style="background:#fcc;"| 3| December 29| Milwaukee| | Tyler Herro (23)| Bam Adebayo (6)| Tyler Herro (7)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 1–2|-style="background:#cfc;"| 4| December 30| Milwaukee| | Goran Dragić (26)| Tyler Herro (15)| Bam Adebayo (10)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 2–2|-style="background:#fcc;"| 5| January 1| @ Dallas| | Bam Adebayo (19)| Bam Adebayo (11)| Goran Dragić (7)| American Airlines Center
0| 2–3|-style="background:#cfc;"| 6| January 4| Oklahoma City| | Bam Adebayo (20)| Tyler Herro (9)| Tyler Herro (8)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 3–3|-style="background:#fcc;"| 7| January 6| Boston| | Jimmy Butler (26)| Adebayo, Butler (8)| Bam Adebayo (10)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 3–4|-style="background:#cfc;"| 8| January 9| @ Washington| | Tyler Herro (31)| Bam Adebayo (16)| Jimmy Butler (9)| Capital One Arena
0| 4–4|-style="background:#ccc;"| –| January 10| @ Boston| colspan="6" | Postponed (COVID-19) (Makeup date: May 11)^[2] |-style="background:#fcc;"| 9| January 12| @ Philadelphia| | Tyler Herro (34)| Precious Achiuwa (13)| Andre Iguodala (7)| Wells Fargo Center
0| 4–5|-style="background:#fcc;"| 10| January 14| @ Philadelphia| | Duncan Robinson (22)| Precious Achiuwa (11)| Vincent, Iguodala (8)| Wells Fargo Center
0| 4–6|-style="background:#fcc;"| 11| January 16| Detroit| | Bam Adebayo (28)| Bam Adebayo (7)| Goran Dragić (7)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 4–7|-style="background:#cfc;"| 12| January 18| Detroit| | Bam Adebayo (28)| Bam Adebayo (11)| Bam Adebayo (5)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 5–7|-style="background:#cfc;"| 13| January 20| @ Toronto| | Kendrick Nunn (28)| Bam Adebayo (13)| Kelly Olynyk (8)| Amalie Arena
0| 6–7|-style="background:#fcc;"| 14| January 22| @ Toronto| | Kendrick Nunn (22)| Bam Adebayo (8)| Kendrick Nunn (5)| Amalie Arena
0| 6–8|-style="background:#fcc;"| 15| January 23| @ Brooklyn| | Bam Adebayo (41)| Kelly Olynyk (6)| Iguodala, Olynyk (3)| Barclays Center
0| 6–9|-style="background:#fcc;"| 16| January 25| @ Brooklyn| | Bam Adebayo (26)| Bam Adebayo (10)| Adebayo, Dragić (5)| Barclays Center
0| 6–10|-style="background:#fcc;"| 17| January 27| Denver| | Bam Adebayo (15)| Bam Adebayo (7)| Bam Adebayo (6)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 6–11|-style="background:#fcc;"| 18| January 28| L. A. Clippers| | Tyler Herro (19)| Bam Adebayo (13)| Bam Adebayo (7)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 6–12|-style="background:#cfc;"| 19| January 30| Sacramento| | Jimmy Butler (30)| Bam Adebayo (13)| Jimmy Butler (8)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 7–12|-style="background:#fcc;"| 20| February 1| Charlotte| | Jimmy Butler (25)| Adebayo, Butler (9)| Dragić, Herro (8)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 7–13|-style="background:#fcc;"| 21| February 3| Washington| | Tyler Herro (20)| Adebayo, Olynyk (11)| Jimmy Butler (9)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 7–14|-style="background:#cfc;"| 22| February 5| Washington| | Kendrick Nunn (25)| Andre Iguodala (10)| Jimmy Butler (9)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 8–14|-style="background:#cfc;"| 23| February 7| @ New York| | Bam Adebayo (24)| Bam Adebayo (11)| Jimmy Butler (9)| Madison Square Garden
0| 9–14|-style="background:#cfc;"| 24| February 9| New York| | Jimmy Butler (26)| Jimmy Butler (8)| Jimmy Butler (10)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 10–14|-style="background:#cfc;"| 25| February 11| @ Houston| | Jimmy Butler (27)| Adebayo, Olynyk (13)| Jimmy Butler (10)| AT&T Center
3,251| 11–14|-style="background:#fcc;"| 26| February 13| @ Utah| | Kendrick Nunn (23)| Adebayo, Olynyk (10)| Adebayo, Herro (6)| Vivint Arena
3,902| 11–15|-style="background:#fcc;"| 27| February 15| @ L. A. Clippers| | Bam Adebayo (27)| Bam Adebayo (12)| Jimmy Butler (10)| Staples Center
0| 11–16|-style="background:#fcc;"| 28| February 17| @ Golden State| | Bam Adebayo (24)| Tyler Herro (15)| Jimmy Butler (11)| Chase Center
0| 11–17|-style="background:#cfc;"| 29| February 18| @ Sacramento| | Tyler Herro (27)| Bam Adebayo (12)| Bam Adebayo (10)| Golden 1 Center
0| 12–17|-style="background:#cfc;"| 30| February 20| @ L. A. Lakers| | Kendrick Nunn (27)| Adebayo, Robinson (10)| Bam Adebayo (6)| Staples Center
0| 13–17|-style="background:#cfc;"| 31| February 22| @ Oklahoma City| | Duncan Robinson (22)| Bam Adebayo (13)| Butler, Nunn (9)| Chesapeake Energy Arena
0| 14–17|-style="background:#cfc;"| 32| February 24| Toronto| | Jimmy Butler (27)| Bam Adebayo (12)| Jimmy Butler (10)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 15–17|-style="background:#cfc;"| 33| February 26| Utah| | Jimmy Butler (33)| Bam Adebayo (11)| Jimmy Butler (8)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 16–17|-style="background:#cfc;"| 34 | February 28| Atlanta| | Kendrick Nunn (24)| Bam Adebayo (13)| Kendrick Nunn (7)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 17–17|-style="background:#fcc;"| 35| March 2| Atlanta| | Dragić, Robinson (14)| Kelly Olynyk (6)| Goran Dragić (4)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 17–18|-style="background:#cfc;"| 36| March 4| @ New Orleans| | Jimmy Butler (29)| Kelly Olynyk (10)| Jimmy Butler (9)| Smoothie King Center
2,700| 18–18|-style="background:#cfc;"| 37| March 11| Orlando| | Jimmy Butler (27)| Jimmy Butler (8)| Jimmy Butler (11)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 19–18|-style="background:#cfc;"| 38| March 12| @ Chicago| | Jimmy Butler (28)| Goran Dragić (7)| Jimmy Butler (8)| United Center
0| 20–18|-style="background:#cfc;"| 39| March 14| @ Orlando| | Jimmy Butler (22)| Butler, Olynyk (7)| Jimmy Butler (9)| Amway Center
3,264| 21–18|-style="background:#cfc;"| 40| March 16| Cleveland| | Jimmy Butler (28)| Jimmy Butler (12)| Goran Dragić (9)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 22–18|-style="background:#fcc;"| 41| March 17| @ Memphis| | Jimmy Butler (24)| Bam Adebayo (12)| Bam Adebayo (6)| FedExForum
2,217| 22–19|-style="background:#fcc;"| 42| March 19| Indiana| | Bam Adebayo (20)| Adebayo, Butler (8)| Bam Adebayo (5)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 22–20|-style="background:#fcc;"| 43| March 21| Indiana| | Bam Adebayo (9)| Jimmy Butler (15)| Jimmy Butler (7)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 22–21|-style="background:#fcc;"| 44| March 23| Phoenix| | Kendrick Nunn (25)| Jimmy Butler (11)| Bam Adebayo (6)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 22–22|-style="background:#fcc;"| 45| March 25| Portland| | Bam Adebayo (29)| Bam Adebayo (7)| Bam Adebayo (9)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 22–23|-style="background:#fcc;"| 46| March 26| @ Charlotte| | Butler, Robinson (20)| Trevor Ariza (9)| Jimmy Butler (9)| Spectrum Center
4,215| 22–24|-style="background:#cfc;"| 47| March 29| @ New York| | Jimmy Butler (27)| Bam Adebayo (17)| Jimmy Butler (6)| Madison Square Garden
1,981| 23–24|-style="background:#cfc;"| 48| March 31| @ Indiana| | Duncan Robinson (20)| Adebayo, Robinson (8)| Bam Adebayo (7)| Bankers Life Fieldhouse
0| 24–24|-style="background:#cfc;"| 49| April 1| Golden State| | Jimmy Butler (22)| Bam Adebayo (8)| Jimmy Butler (8)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 25–24|-style="background:#cfc;"| 50| April 3| Cleveland| | Adebayo, Robinson (18)| Bam Adebayo (11)| Jimmy Butler (11)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 26–24|-style="background:#fcc;"| 51| April 6| Memphis| | Jimmy Butler (28)| Bam Adebayo (10)| Bam Adebayo (10)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 26–25|-style="background:#cfc;"| 52| April 8| L. A. Lakers| | Jimmy Butler (28)| Adebayo, Butler (7)| Jimmy Butler (5)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 27–25|-style="background:#cfc;"| 53| April 11| @ Portland| | Bam Adebayo (22)| Tyler Herro (7)| Jimmy Butler (5)| Moda Center
0| 28–25|-style="background:#fcc;"| 54| April 13| @ Phoenix| | Jimmy Butler (18)| Bam Adebayo (10)| Jimmy Butler (8)| Phoenix Suns Arena
5,024| 28–26|-style="background:#fcc;"| 55| April 14| @ Denver| | Bam Adebayo (21)| Bam Adebayo (6)| Jimmy Butler (9)| Ball Arena
4,017| 28–27|-style="background:#fcc;"| 56| April 16| @ Minnesota| | Jimmy Butler (30)| Jimmy Butler (10)| Jimmy Butler (8)| Target Center
1,638| 28–28|-style="background:#cfc;"| 57| April 18| Brooklyn| | Bam Adebayo (21)| Bam Adebayo (15)| Goran Dragić (7)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 29–28|-style="background:#cfc;"| 58| April 19| Houston| | Kendrick Nunn (30)| Precious Achiuwa (11)| Kendrick Nunn (8)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 30–28|-style="background:#cfc;"| 59| April 21| @ San Antonio| | Bam Adebayo (23)| Bam Adebayo (8)| Jimmy Butler (11)| AT&T Center
4,229| 31–28|-style="background:#fcc;"| 60| April 23| @ Atlanta| | Kendrick Nunn (21)| Trevor Ariza (10)| Jimmy Butler (7)| State Farm Arena
2,985| 31–29|-style="background:#cfc;"| 61| April 24| Chicago| | Duncan Robinson (23)| Adebayo, Dedmon, Robinson (10)| Bam Adebayo (10)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 32–29|-style="background:#fcc;"| 62| April 26| Chicago| | Jimmy Butler (33)| Jimmy Butler (8)| Goran Dragić (7)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 32–30|-style="background:#cfc;"| 63| April 28| San Antonio| | Jimmy Butler (29)| Bam Adebayo (11)| Goran Dragić (7)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 33–30|-style="background:#cfc;"| 64| May 1| @ Cleveland| | Kendrick Nunn (22)| Bam Adebayo (10)| Goran Dragić (7)| Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
4,148| 34–30|-style="background:#cfc;" | 65| May 2| @ Charlotte| | Bam Adebayo (20)| Jimmy Butler (8)| Bam Adebayo (10)| Spectrum Center
4,095| 35–30|-style="background:#fcc;"| 66| May 4| Dallas| | Duncan Robinson (19)| Duncan Robinson (9)| Bam Adebayo (11)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating | 35–31|-style="background:#cfc;"| 67 | May 7| Minnesota| | Tyler Herro (27)| Jimmy Butler (8)| Jimmy Butler 6)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating | 36–31|-style="background:#cfc;"| 68| May 9| @ Boston| | Jimmy Butler (26)| Jimmy Butler (8)| Jimmy Butler (11)| TD Garden
2,298| 37–31|-style="background:#cfc;"| 69| May 11| @ Boston| | Tyler Herro (24)| Tyler Herro (11)| Bam Adebayo (5)| TD Garden
4,789| 38–31|-style="background:#cfc;"| 70| May 13| Philadelphia| | Jimmy Butler (21)| Bam Adebayo (12)| Bam Adebayo (8)| American Airlines Arena
Limited seating| 39–31|-style="background:#fcc;"| 71| May 15| @ Milwaukee| | Kendrick Nunn (31)| Bam Adebayo (8)| Bam Adebayo (8)| Fiserv Forum
3,280| 39–32|-style="background:#cfc;"| 72| May 16| @ Detroit| | Precious Achiuwa (23)| Precious Achiuwa (10)| Tyler Herro (11)| Little Caesars Arena
750| 40–32

Playoffs

See also: 2021 NBA playoffs. |-style="background:#fcc;"| 1| May 22| @ Milwaukee| | Goran Dragić (25)| Bam Adebayo (12)| Jimmy Butler (8)| Fiserv Forum
9,107| 0–1|-style="background:#fcc;"| 2| May 24| @ Milwaukee| | Dewayne Dedmon (19)| Dewayne Dedmon (9)| Adebayo, Butler, Dragić (4)| Fiserv Forum
9,107| 0–2|-style="background:#fcc;"| 3| May 27| Milwaukee| | Jimmy Butler (19)| Adebayo, Butler (8)| Jimmy Butler (6)| American Airlines Arena
17,000| 0–3|-style="background:#fcc;"| 4| May 29| Milwaukee| | Bam Adebayo (20)| Bam Adebayo (14)| Jimmy Butler (10)| American Airlines Arena
17,000| 0–4

Player statistics

Ragular season

Player
	SF	72	72	2,262	250	127	43	20	942	31.4	3.5	1.8	.6	.3	13.1
	C	64	64	2,143	573	346	75	66	1,197	33.5	9.0	5.4	1.2	1.0	18.7
	SF	63	5	1,339	221	142	57	35	275	21.3	3.5	2.3	.9	.6	4.4
	PF	61	4	737	208	29	20	28	304	12.1	3.4	.5	.3	.5	5.0
	PG	56	44	1,650	179	148	52	14	816	29.5	3.2	2.6	.9	.3	14.6
	SG	54	15	1,635	268	184	35	17	815	30.3	5.0	3.4	.6	.3	15.1
	SF	52	52	1,745	359	369	108	18	1,116	33.6	6.9	7.1	2.1	.3	21.5
	PG	50	11	1,337	169	219	33	8	672	26.7	3.4	4.4	.7	.2	13.4
	PG	50	7	655	56	67	21	2	242	13.1	1.1	1.3	.4	.0	4.8
†	C	43	38	1,157	261	91	40	26	432	26.9	6.1	2.1	.9	.6	10.0
	SF	39	0	507	41	24	11	2	236	13.0	1.1	.6	.3	.1	6.1
	PF	37	9	447	68	19	10	11	92	12.1	1.8	.5	.3	.3	2.5
	SF	30	27	841	144	55	31	18	282	28.0	4.8	1.8	1.0	.6	9.4
	C	16	0	210	86	12	9	6	113	13.1	5.4	.8	.6	.4	7.1
†	SF	11	3	124	13	7	2	4	15	11.3	1.2	.6	.2	.4	1.4
†	PF	11	2	156	27	20	7	3	55	14.2	2.5	1.8	.6	.3	5.0
†	PF	11	0	83	25	6	1	5	30	7.5	2.3	.5	.1	.5	2.7
†	SG	10	1	211	18	14	7	1	85	21.1	1.8	1.4	.7	.1	8.5
†	SG	4	4	111	14	14	7	2	48	27.8	3.5	3.5	1.8	.5	12.0
	C	3	2	29	7	2	0	0	10	9.7	2.3	.7	.0	.0	3.3
	C	1	0	3	1	0	0	0	4	3.0	1.0	.0	.0	.0	4.0

Playoffs

Player
	SF	4	4	154	30	28	5	1	58	38.5	7.5	7.0	1.3	.3	14.5
	C	4	4	136	37	17	5	2	62	34.0	9.3	4.3	1.3	.5	15.5
	SF	4	4	100	11	3	3	0	41	25.0	2.8	.8	.8	.0	10.3
	SF	4	4	96	23	2	3	1	19	24.0	5.8	.5	.8	.3	4.8
	PG	4	2	117	7	11	4	2	64	29.3	1.8	2.8	1.0	.5	16.0
	PG	4	2	93	6	6	2	0	41	23.3	1.5	1.5	.5	.0	10.3
	SG	4	0	93	13	7	1	1	37	23.3	3.3	1.8	.3	.3	9.3
	SF	4	0	71	12	5	4	2	15	17.8	3.0	1.3	1.0	.5	3.8
	C	4	0	57	18	3	0	2	25	14.3	4.5	.8	.0	.5	6.3
	PG	3	0	14	1	2	0	0	5	4.7	.3	.7	.0	.0	1.7
	PF	3	0	12	6	0	0	2	7	4.0	2.0	.0	.0	.7	2.3
	PF	2	0	30	5	2	2	1	18	15.0	2.5	1.0	1.0	.5	9.0
	PF	2	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	3.0	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
	SF	2	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	3.0	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0

Transactions

See main article: article and List of 2020–21 NBA season transactions.

Re-signed

Player	Date Signed	Ref.
Gabe Vincent	November 21 (Two-way contract)	[3]
Meyers Leonard	November 22	[4]
Udonis Haslem	November 28	[5]

Additions

Player	Signed	Former Team	Ref.
Max Strus	November 30	Chicago Bulls	[6]
Trevor Ariza	March 17	Oklahoma City Thunder	[7]
Nemanja Bjelica	March 25	Sacramento Kings	[8]
Victor Oladipo	March 25	Houston Rockets	[9]
Dewayne Dedmon	April 8	Atlanta Hawks	[10]
Ӧmer Yurtseven	May 14	Oklahoma City Blue	[11]

Subtractions

Player	Left Through	New Team	Ref.
Derrick Jones Jr.	Free Agency	Portland Trail Blazers	[12]
Solomon Hill	Free Agency	Atlanta Hawks	[13]
Jae Crowder	Free Agency	Phoenix Suns	[14]
Meyers Leonard	Trade	Oklahoma City Thunder	[15]
Chris Silva	Trade	Sacramento Kings	[16]
Maurice Harkless	Trade	Sacramento Kings
Kelly Olynyk	Trade	Houston Rockets	[17]
Avery Bradley	Trade	Houston Rockets

Notes and References

1. Web site: Marc. Stein. N.B.A. All-Star Game Would Be 'Slap in the Face,' LeBron James Says. February 5, 2021. The New York Times. June 4, 2021.
2. Web site: Heat-Celtics game postponed due to Health and Safety Protocols . NBA.com . January 11, 2021. January 18, 2021.
3. Web site: Reynolds . Tim . November 21, 2020 . Goran Dragic officially re-signs with Miami . November 21, 2020 . NBA.com.
4. Web site: Herrera . Irene . November 22, 2020 . Leonard Re-Signs With HEAT . November 22, 2020 . NBA.com.
5. Web site: November 28, 2020 . The Captain Returns For His 18th Season . November 28, 2020 . Miami Heat.
6. Web site: Herrera . Irene . November 30, 2020 . Max Strus Signs With HEAT . November 30, 2020 . NBA.com.
7. Web site: March 18, 2021 . OFFICIAL: Miami Heat have acquired Trevor Ariza - Twitter . March 18, 2021 . twitter.com.
8. Web site: Beguiristain . Joe . March 25, 2021 . HEAT Acquire Nemanja Bjelica . March 25, 2021 . NBA.com.
9. Web site: Herrera . Irene . March 25, 2021 . HEAT Acquire Victor Oladipo . March 25, 2021 . NBA.com.
10. Web site: Schmid . Donnie . April 8, 2021 . Dewayne Dedmon Signs With HEAT . April 8, 2021 . NBA.com.
11. Web site: Beguiristain . Joe . May 14, 2021 . Ӧmer Yurtseven Signs With HEAT . May 14, 2021 . NBA.com.
12. Web site: November 22, 2020 . Trail Blazers Sign Derrick Jones Jr . November 22, 2020 . NBA.com.
13. Web site: Finberg . Annie . November 25, 2020 . Atlanta Hawks Sign Free Agent Forward Solomon Hill . November 25, 2020 . NBA.com.
14. Web site: Taylor . Jessica . November 28, 2020 . SUNS SIGN JAE CROWDER . November 28, 2020 . NBA.com.
15. Web site: March 17, 2021 . Thunder Acquires 2027 Second-Round Draft Pick, Meyers Leonard and Generates Trade Exception . March 17, 2021 . NBA.com.
16. Web site: March 25, 2021 . Kings Acquire Maurice Harkless And Chris Silva . March 25, 2021 . NBA.com.
17. Web site: Joshi . Hiren . March 25, 2021 . Rockets complete trade with Miami . March 25, 2021 . NBA.com.