Mailbag: After Haslem, whose Heat jersey will be retired next? And who’s the early Heat MVP?

The Miami Herald’s Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions. If you weren’t able to ask this time, send your questions for future mailbags via X (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email them in to achiang@miamiherald.com.

@KellyLinters22: With Udonis Haslem’s jersey retirement coming up, who do you see having their jersey retired next in Miami? I hear rumblings about Goran Dragic, LeBron James?

Anthony Chiang: I’m not sure whether the Heat will retire Dragic’s number at this point despite his excellent career with the Heat. I feel confident that LeBron’s No. 6 jersey will eventually be up in the rafters of the Heat’s home arena. So my answer is LeBron. It’s also the safe answer, but LeBron has to retire before his number can be retired by an NBA team. And considering LeBron is still putting up All-Star-caliber numbers in his 21st NBA season at 39 years old, who knows when that will actually happen.

As for after LeBron, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler seem to be on track to have their jerseys eventually retired by the Heat. But Adebayo is just 26 years old and Butler is still considered one of the NBA’s top players, so that’s not happening any time soon.

@Major_Passons: Do you feel more confident in the Heat than you initially did?

Anthony: I don’t know how to feel, considering that the Heat’s leading trio of Adebayo, Butler and Tyler Herro have played together in just eight games so far this season. There’s still a lot left to learn about this roster, with the Heat’s injury issues limiting the availability of so many key players throughout the first three months of the season.

Yes, the Heat’s depth looks to be a strength. But the Heat also entered Friday with the NBA’s 17th-ranked offensive rating, 13th-ranked defensive rating and 17th-ranked net rating for the season. Those numbers simply aren’t good enough to be considered a true championship contender. How much has the Heat been impacted by its injury issues? That’s what we won’t know until we see this team closer to full health or at least get a sustained stretch of watching Adebayo, Butler and Herro play together.

Since the Heat has advanced to the Eastern Conference finals in three of the last four seasons and the NBA Finals in two of the last four seasons with the duo of Adebayo and Butler leading each of those deep playoff runs, Miami deserves the benefit of the doubt that things will get better as the team gets healthier.

@MrEd315: If the season ended today, which Heat players are worthy of being named team MVP?

Anthony: I think the answer has to be Adebayo because he’s producing at a high level on both ends of the court and he’s the one from the Heat’s leading trio who has played the most games so far this season. But want an out-of-the-box nominee? Kevin Love, who has produced very positive minutes at a backup center spot that was a black hole of negative minutes last season.

Love actually has a team-best estimated plus-minus (an advanced metric that gives an estimated impact per 100 possessions) this season, just ahead of second-place Adebayo.