Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra
Dec 16, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra gestures against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at the Barclays Center. The Heat defeated the Nets 95-91. Reuters/Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

After a trying season when they lost LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chris Bosh to a dangerous injury, the Miami Heat are back with a re-tooled line-up that is pegged to return back to prominence, at least in the Eastern Conference.

A year ago, James spurned the Heat after leading them to back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 forcing the Miami franchise to regroup with a roster filled with veterans that wants to prove that they can still be title contenders even at an advanced age.

Without James, Dwyane Wade and Bosh returns to the limelight as the Heat’s leaders for the upcoming season although the pair will have lots of support from upcoming young guys and proven veterans.

Wade and Bosh
Nov 30, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) and center Chris Bosh (1) celebrate against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Heat defeated the Knicks 86-79. Reuters/Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The 33-year-old Wade averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game last season while the 31-year-old Bosh logged in 21.1 points and 7.0 rebounds and is expected to return to 100 percent for the new season after missing half the season last year due to blood clot in his lungs.

At the starting point guard spot is Goran Dragic, who played in just 26 games for the Heat last season but now has a full training camp and preseason under his belt and will be more familiar with Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s system. Despite being new to the Heat, Dragic averaged 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals as Miami struggled with injuries to some of their key players last season.

Goran Dragic
Mar 13, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic (7) shoots the ball against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Heat 102-92. Reuters/Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Another key player is starting centre Hassan Whiteside, who proved himself as a worthy starter for the Heat after his breakout season when he logged in 11.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game in the 2014-2015. A former second round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Whiteside will be playing in the last year of a two-year deal that pays him less than $1M (AU$ 1.39M) per season and is due for a big payday after the 2015-2016 season.

Hassan Whiteside
January 11, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) dunks to score a basket against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Reuters/Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

All four players are pegged to start for the Heat and will be joined by another veteran in small forward Luol Deng in the starting line-up. Other key Heat players are veterans Gerald Green, Josh McRoberts, Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers and rookie Justise Winslow.

2015-2016 Miami Heat Projected Depth Chart:
Point Guards: Goran Dragic/Mario Chalmers/Tyler Johnson
Shooting Guards: Dwyane Wade/Gerald Green/Josh Richardson
Small Forwards: Luol Deng/Justise Winslow/James Ennis
Power Forwards: Chris Bosh/Josh McRoberts/Udonis Haslem
Centres: Hassan Whiteside/Amare Stoudemire/Chris Andersen

Other 2015-2016 NBA Season Team Previews:
Paul, Griffin and Jordan lead reloaded Los Angeles Clippers
Playoffs a tough task for rebuilding LA Lakers
Toronto Raptors expect growth from DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas

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