Heat not waiting for training camp to start building around Giannis Antetokounmpo

Every NBA team has wonderful chemistry in September. Nobody has been benched. Nobody is unhappy with his touches. Most importantly, nobody has lost a game.

Still, the Heat have more reason than most to begin figuring things out early. Miami’s players have organized an offseason minicamp after the team added Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr., as Major Passons of Heat On SI noted.

That’s a lot of accomplished basketball arriving at once. It’s also a lot of new roles. Antetokounmpo will reshape everything the Heat do offensively. Thompson and Hardaway should provide spacing around him. Portis already knows how to play with Giannis from their time together in Milwaukee.

Knowing the roster on paper is the easy part. Learning where teammates prefer the ball, when they cut and who takes over when possessions break down requires actual time together.

That’s what these workouts can provide. They don’t guarantee anything, of course. The 2011 Heat had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, along with all the preseason optimism anyone could possibly manufacture. Dallas still won the championship.

Chemistry is also one of those things people tend to praise after victories and blame after losses. We generally decide who has it once we see the standings.

So Miami’s minicamp isn’t proof that its remodeled roster will work. It’s merely evidence that the players understand there is work to do.

For a team with championship expectations and several major newcomers, that seems like a worthwhile place to begin.