Fearless forecast: No. 4 seed within reach

Richardson Wade Dragic Winslow Whiteside Waiters T.Johnson Olynyk Adebayo Ellington J.Johnson McGruder Jones Jr. Robinson Haslem Maten Terry Anderson Team Opponents

Player 73 34.8 423-1026 72 26.2 416-960 36 27.5 179-433 66 29.7 324-749 72 23.3 388-680 44 25.9 198-478 44 25.5 171-401 79 22.9 261-564 82 23.3 280-486 25 21.3 69-184 55 21.2 164-379 66 23.5 186-461 60 19.2 160-324 15 10.7 18-46 10 7.4 11-33 2 6.5 1-4 1 3.0 0-1 10 4.4 2-9

82 240.6 3251-7218 82 240.6 3141-7116

REB/OFF DEF

Richardson 54 Wade 69 Dragic 20 Winslow 63 Whiteside 257 Waiters 7 T.Johnson 19 Olynyk 72 Adebayo 165 Ellington 6 J.Johnson 22 McGruder 60 Jones Jr. 96 Robinson 2 Haslem 3 Maten 1 Terry 1 Anderson 4 Team 921 Opponents 831

TOT 209 263 216 285 91 111 292 355 560 817 109 116 102 121 303 375 432 597 41 47 154 176 178 238 144 240 17 19 24 27 2 3 0 1 5 9 2879 3800 2792 3623 .412 .433 .413 .433 .571 .414 .426 .463 .576 .375 .433 .403 .494 .391 .333 .250 .000 .222 .450 .441

AVG. 3.6 4.0 3.1 5.4 11.4 2.6 2.8 4.8 7.3 1.9 3.2 3.6 4.0 1.3 2.7 1.5 1.0 .9 46.3 44.2 164-460 86-261 57-164 96-256 2-16 109-289 72-204 113-319 3-15 57-155 50-149 79-225 28-91 10-35 0-12 0-1 0-0 2-6 928-2658 973-2717

AST 298 301 174 282 56 121 112 140 184 29 135 112 37 5 2 0 1 2 199 191

AVG. 4.1 4.2 4.8 4.3 .8 2.8 2.5 1.8 2.2 1.2 2.5 1.7 .6 .3 .2 .0 1.0 .2 24.3 23.3

PF 199-231 165-233 79-101 86-137 109-243 22-44 61-88 152-185 166-226 14-16 50-70 52-72 74-122 4-6

3-4

0-0

1-2

1-2 1238-1782 1432-1861 200 118 81 177 192 72 72 183 203 40 114 115 123 11 9 0 0 2 171 165

DQ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .861 1209 .708 1083 .782 494 .628 830 .449 887 .500 527 .693 475 .822 787 .735 729 .875 209 .714 428 .722 503 .607 422 .667 50 .750 25 .000 2 .500 1 .500 7 .695 8668 .769 8690

STL 79 59 30 72 46 29 40 53 71 24 35 36 46 5 0 1 0 1 627 612

TO 113 166 71 142 97 64 63 114 121 14 74 64 43 4

3

0

0

2 1208 1159 16.6 15.0 13.7 12.6 12.3 12.0 10.8 10.0 8.9 8.4 7.8 7.6 7.0 3.3 2.5 1.0 1.0 0.7 105.7 106.0

BLK 34 38 5 19 136 9 21 37 65 3 27 12 42 0 0 0 0 0 448 389

The start of the NBA season is here. It’s time to predict how it will go.

The Miami Heat opens the regular season Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies at AmericanAirlines Arena, and then hits the road for its first back-to-back set of the season — Saturday vs. the Milwaukee Bucks and Sunday vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Heat plays 13 of its first 21 games on the road.

Here are five predictions for the Heat’s season, which will probably end up being wrong:

Jimmy Butler will get some MVP consideration: Butler won’t get the award, but his name will be mentioned among those on the list of candidates at the end of the regular season. As the Heat’s leading man, he’ll anchor one of the NBA’s top defenses and also serve as the No. 1 option on offense. If Miami can finish among the top four in the Eastern Conference, Butler should at least get some consideration for the award.

Bam Adebayo will average a doube-double: Adebayo’s career high in points and rebounds is 8.9 and 7.3, respectively. Both came last season. But with the extra minutes and opportunities that come with being the Heat’s starting center, Adebayo will take advantage and set career highs in both categories. Adebayo will average 12 points and 10 rebounds this season.

Goran Dragic will finish as the Heat’s second-leading scorer behind Butler: Sure, Dragic looks like he will be used off the bench this season. But that doesn’t change the fact that Dragic, 33, is still one of Miami’s top offensive players. He averaged 17.3 points just two seasons ago and 20.3 points three seasons ago, and he will thrive in a reserve role against other reserve guards.

Tyler Herro will have his rookie moments:

This isn’t a bold prediction, but it’s meant for those ready to proclaim him the next Devin Booker after a strong preseason. Herro is going to score points and he will impress with his outside shot, but defense is still a concern for the rookie. The question is: Does the Heat trust Herro’s defense enough to consistently put him out there down the stretch of games?

The Heat will win 46 games and finish fourth in the East: While the Heat finished with a 39-43 record last season and has missed the playoffs in three of the past five seasons, the addition of a four-time All-Star such as Butler and improvement from young players such as Adebayo and Justise Winslow will help push Miami to a 46-36 record this season. The 76ers, Bucks and Celtics will finish in front of the Heat in the East standings.