So…not much has changed for the HEAT since the last time we met, but that’s a good thing.

As of Nov. 18, Miami is still ranked among the league’s elite in net rating, assist percentage (more on that in a bit), rebound percentage and true shooting percentage.

In turn, the HEAT have gotten off to a 9-3 start for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

Oh yeah, and they’re a perfect 5-0 at home.

Before we go any further, though, I have to caution you once more that the season is still very young.

Now with that out of the way, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of Miami’s sustained success.

Sharing Is Caring

Although the HEAT have been very strong on the defensive end, we’ve come to expect that at this point.

Perhaps the biggest development or surprise from a team-wide perspective has been their continued fantastic ball movement.

At the current moment, Miami ranks second with a 65.5 assist percentage and has already recorded four games of 31-plus assists this season (all wins). Keep in mind that the team had six such games all of last year.

Since I just threw a lot of numbers at you, take a break and watch the HEAT’s offense in action:

Picture perfect.

As you can see, it’s been an all-around effort, but Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragić have really led the charge. In fact, both guys pace Miami in assists per game and points per direct drive (minimum of 50 such actions).

What’s more, Butler came up one assist shy of his career high twice in the past three games (he recorded 13 against both the Pistons and Pelicans) and became the first HEAT player to have 13 assists and 0 turnovers in a game since Dwyane Wade on Feb. 4, 2009.

Above all else, though, Erik Spoelstra likes Butler and Dragić’s poise in crunch time.

“With the experience of Goran and Jimmy, both as lead men in their careers, they understand what needs to be done going down the stretch,” Spoelstra said. “And they don’t get rushed. They don’t get bothered. They don’t get sick at sea. And you just feel very stable. That has an effect on the rest of the guys.”

Jimmy Can Play DB

What also has an effect on the guys is Butler’s defense.

Simply put, Butler reads the passing lanes and racks up deflections like he’s an All-Pro defensive back in the NFL.

Not only does the 30-year-old vet lead the league with 2.8 steals per game, but he also ranks second with 4.1 deflections per contest. Thanks in large part to that, the HEAT are averaging 20.2 points off turnovers, which is among the best in the association. Of course, he’s holding his defensive assignments to just 32-of-94 shooting (34 percent), too.

And while Coach Spo doesn’t like to make comparisons, he did liken Butler to a guy we all know and love.

“[Butler’s] ability to do the spontaneous, unpredictable defensive play, in that regard, he reminds me of Dwyane [Wade],” Spoelstra said. “You can watch thousands of hours of film and teach and drill, but some players just have that instinct to make a play. And I’m sure it’s similar to the great defensive backs in the NFL. They have a knack for the ball, knack for body language and nuances that most players don’t have…and Jimmy has that ability. Plus, his closing speed has really impressed me.”

A little later, Spoelstra mentioned that Butler “has championship habits without being a champion yet.”

Let’s take a look at some of those habits below:

Nunn Stays The Course

If you’ve been following along this season, you should know all about Kendrick Nunn’s historic five-game stretch to start his career back in October.

He cooled off a little bit after that, but continued to take good shots within the flow of the offense (again, ball movement had a lot to do with that).

Thanks to those wise decisions and his unwavering confidence, Nunn is back to scoring from all three levels.

All told, the 24-year-old ranks second among all rookies with 17.8 points per game on 47.2 percent shooting (Ja Morant’s first), fourth in assists (3.2) and first in steals (1.6).

After shootaround on Saturday, Spoelstra lauded Nunn for his growth.

“We’re trying to develop [Nunn] to become a complete basketball player, but he has that scoring ability that we want to certainly maximize as much as possible,” Spoelstra said. “He’s developing that as well, where he’s not just a scorer. He can now play off the ball, play on the move, and his shooting has really taken another step up as a spot-up guy.”

By the way…he can dunk, too.

Enjoy your poster, Nicolò Melli.

Bam’s The Heart & Soul

I mean, what else is there to say about Bam Adebayo at this point?

The guy just does it all. Period.

Naturally, he leads Miami in rebounds and blocks, but he’s also initiating offense from the elbow with pinpoint passes to cutters and handoffs to shooters along the perimeter.

Here are some of his notable assists, steals and blocks of late:

However, you don’t have to take my word for it.

Check out what Butler had to say about Adebayo:

“He’s the heart of our team. He’s the motor…he’s really smart…the plays and the reads that he makes, not a lot of bigs are capable of doing that,” Butler said. “And he’s been doing it…and he’s a hell of a player for us. I mean, I don’t know how much more praise I can give him, but I love that guy.”

Odds & Ends

-Chris Silva has shown maximum effort and energy on pretty much every possession he’s been involved in.

For proof of that, look no further than this montage from the past few games:

-Don’t look now, but Meyers Leonard is leading the league in three-point shooting at 61.9 percent. Apparently, it’s more than just hammer time.

Deuces.