Miami Heat Beat, LLC, a sports website and podcast dedicated to bringing the best and latest dose of Miami HEAT news, insight, and commentary, has added three writers to expand its features and analysis coverage on the team. Rob Slater, Chris Smith, and Michael Lefkowitz will join Miami Heat Beat’s editorial team beginning in October, coinciding with the launch of the 2018-19 NBA regular season. The new additions bolster Miami Heat Beat’s commitment to in-depth analysis of the Miami HEAT, producing content that concentrates heavily on film breakdowns in tandem with data-driven analytics.

Anchoring our editorial team is Nekias Duncan, a rising NBA writer who has covered the Miami HEAT and the NBA at large for BBALLBREAKDOWN, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, Today’s Fastbreak, and Miami Heat Beat. Duncan will continue to provide regular, comprehensive analysis about the HEAT, as well as video and audio commentary on The Heat Beat Podcast.

Rob Slater joins Miami Heat Beat as a regular contributor where he will focus on video analysis and analytics. Slater, a Miami-native, is a New York-based journalist who has served as the Associate Editor at Relix Media Group and is pursuing a master’s degree in Sports Management at Colombia University. Slater has previously contributed stories to FanSided’s All U Can Heat.

Chris Smith joins Miami Heat Beat as a regular contributor where he will provide news features and written commentary. Originally from the United Kingdom, Smith covered soccer as a reporter in Liverpool before relocating to South Florida in 2010. Since his transition, Smith has written about the Miami HEAT as a credentialed journalist for The Guardian and has contributed stories to SB Nation’s Hot Hot Hoops. Still based in South Florida, Smith also freelances as a technology journalist and has published articles for a host of UK tech publications, including Tech Radar, T3Magazine, and Trusted Reviews.

Michael Lefkowitz joins Miami Heat Beat as a regular contributor where he will focus on video analysis, analytics, and the NBA salary cap. Lefkowitz serves as a statistical analytics consultant and video coordinator for Tufts University’s men’s basketball coaching staff, producing scouting reports and designing game plans by using player-tracking data from Synergy stats, as well as breaking down game film. Lefkowitz has previously written feature stories for Tufts University Athletics.

About Miami Heat Beat

Founded in 2013 by Brian Goins and Giancarlo Navas, our staff writes analytical stories, features, and columns on MiamiHeatBeat.com and produces a weekly podcast as an affiliate of the Five Reasons Sports podcast network, founded by industry veterans Ethan Skolnick and Chris Wittyngham.