To quantify just how reformed next season’s Heat project to be, I generated a power rating’s prognosis of Miami’s 2015-16 team roster. Powered by Real Plus-Minus (RPM), I plugged-in an average of RPM values from the last two seasons into Rotoworld.com’s depth charts, while estimating the amount of playing time each player will earn. Here’s a first glance at how the new-look Heat could quickly rise from lottery team to Eastern Conference contenders this upcoming season.

Designed by: Brian Goins

That predicted power rating of +7.2 means the Heat are talented enough to win close to 45 games this season, which ranks in a prime category for a notably weak Eastern Conference. A lot of luck will be needed to withstand another injury plagued season, but if this current cast can make it through just slightly unscathed, they’re positioned to take a top-three seed in the East.

The projected starting rotation of guards Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade; forwards Luol Deng and Chris Bosh; and center Hassan Whiteside would have been the NBA’s most efficient starting unit, as Miami was the only team with five players ranking in the top 90 in Player Efficiency Rating (PER). What separated the Heat from a lottery team that gifted Justise Winslow to a playoff appearance was an insurmountable parade of misfortune.

Bosh suffered a pulmonary embolism that ended his season shortly after the All-Star break. Whiteside was sidelined two weeks due to a laceration on his shooting hand as he got caught underneath the basket. McRoberts spent 72 out of 82 games rehabbing a torn meniscus. Dragic played with a sore back. Deng sat out with lingering ankle ailments. And Wade missed multiple weeks with a strained hamstring. All in all, Miami had the league’s highest amount of starting lineups with 31 — which is never a good statistic to lead in.

And it’s evident this Heat roster has an ample group of talent. It’s a formidable unit that stacks up against any of the other teams across the league — even 2015 Eastern Conference champions, Cleveland. To evaluate this, I generated a similar projection for Cleveland, who have added some new veteran additions (Richard Jefferson and Mo Williams) to their runner-up cast during this active offseason.

Designed by: Brian Goins

Even though both of these projections adjust for teammates, it’s easy to see defensive efficiencies favor Miami, which finished top-eight with a 105.3 defensive efficiency net rating. Cleveland, outside of the Finals, has multiple downgrades in Defensive Real-Plus Minus (DRPM), which does not bode well for a matchup against the Heat, and only one could imagine what the sports media pundits would have to say if the Cavaliers were to lose to LeBron James’s former team.

If Miami’s group remains the same during the postseason, projections could even surpass their current DRPM, a rating that commands most of its value based off team stability. The pressure is now on Miami to regroup with better health. Their reloaded roster, as it stands, poses Cleveland another threat in for the Eastern Conference title and James’s six-consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.