Here's the next installment of our team-by-team season preview series on the Miami Heat:

2014-15 Record: 37-45

Notable Acquisitions: Gerald Green (FA), Justise Winslow (Draft), Amar’e Stoudemire (FA)

Notable Departures: None

Temperature Check:

In their first year of the post-LeBron James era, injuries eroded any real attempt for the team to maintain a perch near the top of the Eastern Conference. Yet this down season also led to a few fortunate additions -- Hassan Whiteside and rookie Justise Winslow. It’s unlikely either player would have ended up with Miami (or in Whiteside’s case, even sees the floor) if the Heat are healthy and humming along last year. Adding those two to a dangerous core led by aging superstar Dwyane Wade may make Miami relevant once again.

Inside the Playbook:

The “Horns” set -- featuring two wing players in the corner, two bigs at the elbow and a ballhandler ready to move into pick-and-roll at the top of the key -- is a staple for nearly every NBA team. And for good reason as Horns is quick to install because of the ease of reads/progressions involved yet still very difficult to guard for teams utilizing it with the right personnel.

One of those teams making the most out of their Horns calls this year will be Miami. Armed with one of the most lob-happy big men in the league -- Hassan Whiteside -- the Heat will be looking to run any type of pick-and-roll they can to get him freed up for thunderous dunks at the rim. Horns will certainly be one of the plays the team will use to do just that. Yet it’s what the Horns set will get Miami aside from Whiteside lobs that makes the play so impactful.

For starters, the interplay of having one big diving while the other pops high has no easy way of being defended, especially when the big man rolling to the rim is Whiteside (or in this upcoming clip, Stoudemire) and his frontcourt partner is Bosh.

And even if you take away both Whiteside’s (or another bigs) roll to the rim and the pop man, there’s still damage that can be done. Remember those wings in the corner? Those guys can hurt you too if you sell out trying to stop what’s going on in the middle of the floor:

Miami certainly won’t be alone in using this NBA staple, but they may be one of the best teams in the league at getting points out of it this season.

Lineup to Watch:

The Chris Bosh-Josh McRoberts frontcourt

Pace and space. It’s been Miami’s motto since LeBron James joined the franchise. Yet while the whole “pace” part of that has always been a little misleading, Miami has always been one of the best teams in the league at spacing the floor around their star talent. This year, they may have a frontcourt that gives them their most versatility yet.

By playing two big man capable of pulling opposing frontcourt players out of the paint, the Heat can be something of a Hawks redux. Like Al Horford and Paul Millsap in Atlanta, Miam’s duo of Bosh and McRoberts can take turns spreading the floor to open driving gaps, rolling or popping in pick-and-rolls while also finding their own offense in post ups/iso’s (Bosh/Millsap) or creating it for others with some slick, unselfish passing (McRoberts/Horford).

Bosh and McRobert’s skill sets essentially allow head coach Erik Spolestra to have a true 5-out look. That type of alignment would be great for not just the slashing Dragic but Miami’s small stable of wing players -- Wade, Luol Deng and Gerald Green -- who can be productive posting up (or just, ya know, like to do it).

The Wildcard:

Josh McRoberts

After missing the vast majority of his first season with the Heat, it’s been easy to forget how many thought his addition to the team’s style of play would be a great fit. So far this preseason, McRoberts has looked really solid in limited minutes -- going 3-of-7 from 3 with a multiple assists in all but one of the four games he’s seen the floor (and he played just seven minutes in that one).

On paper, Miami seems to have a lot of depth in the frontcourt, so it may seem like saying McRoberts is some type of season-altering player is something of a reach. But Amar’e Stoudamire, Chris Anderson and Udonis Haslem are all on the downside of their career arcs while Whiteside is a total enigma. When looking at it that way, having McRoberts make a positive impact seems less like a luxury and more like a necessity.

And if he can provide Miami with some outside shooting and slick passing, it will be a huge boost for their offense. Not only could he cover for Bosh and help keep the offense humming when the All-Star big man is out of the game (or on the sidelines), he could potentially pair with him, giving the Heat that tantalizing 5-out look mentioned above. So while there are a lot of potential wildcards on this Miami roster, it may be their forgotten free agent addition who can step up and make the biggest impact.

Coach’s Question:

Will 3-point shooting quietly be the team’s Achilles heel?

Judging simply by reputation, it doesn’t seem like Miami would have a problem from deep. Bosh has slowly developed his outside stroke and was an assassin (37.5 percent from deep) before missing the latter half the season. Dragic has posted season marks above 40 percent while Chalmers, McRoberts and Deng all have ranged from competent to outstanding.

Yet digging a little deeper, some cracks start to emerge.

The 37.5 percent Bosh shot last season was his first year above league average with a respectable volume of attempts (and he also only played in 44 games). Dragic has career high mark of 40.8 from his magical 2013-14 season with marks of 33.7, 31.9 and last year’s 34.7 clip. Deng topped league average in his latest campaign, but it was only the second time he’s done so since the 2010-2011 season. And McRoberts, who has posted some solid percentages over the past few seasons, has only attempted over 100 3-points in just one season.

So while players aren’t robots and see their percentages dip and fluctuate to any number of events -- health, role, system or even personal issues -- this Miami team seems more at risk for a bad downswing in production than anyone else. And if they do, it will be interesting to see how Spoelstra responds.

Best Case Scenario:

55-27 If….

The team’s newfound depth provides the same type of punch as previous years’ star power. Winslow thrives in a role with reduced expectations and challenges for the Rookie of the Year honor. Whiteside proves to be more than a flash in the pan while Bosh remains healthy for the majority of the season.

Worst Case Scenario:

41-41 If….

Wade declines and no longer can counterbalance his aversion to defense. Bosh struggles with health issues and Whiteside regresses considerably. Deng’s legs finally succumb to the insane minutes totals he has endured in past seasons, leaving the team to rely more on Green, Winslow and James Ennis than they would like.

Click here for a full list of NBA Season Previews from Brett Koremenos.