Antetokounmpo: Heat Title 'Is Going to Happen,' But It Will Take Time

The two-time MVP says a Heat championship will come even if it takes time, after Miami landed him in the trade that sent Tyler Herro out of town.

Giannis Antetokounmpo says a championship is coming in Miami. After appearing in his first preseason game for the Heat, the two-time MVP described an NBA title as inevitable for his new team while declining to attach the forecast to any single season. His vow became the main talking point of the outing.

"It's going to happen. It's going to take time," Antetokounmpo said. He added that he has learned not to put too much pressure on himself or the team, and that the group is preparing in September for something that will take place in June. He cited a shared mindset, noting that Bam Adebayo wants to win, the coach wants to win and the organization wants to win, before concluding, "Slowly, slowly, we're going to be at the place that we're supposed to be."

The remarks followed Antetokounmpo's first appearance in Heat colors, a preseason matchup with the Toronto Raptors on October 3 at Videotron Centre in Quebec City. Wearing No. 7 for Miami, he shared the floor with Toronto's Collin Murray-Boyles during the first half of the exhibition.

Antetokounmpo reached Miami through a deal put together by Pat Riley, who sent Tyler Herro and several other young assets out to acquire a two-time MVP. The move shifted the roster toward an established superstar and away from developing talent, and it raises the bar for a franchise now expected to sit in the title conversation each year.

The retooling went beyond the blockbuster. Miami also added veterans Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway, stocking the roster with proven winners around the new core. The aim is at least one championship in the Antetokounmpo era, a target he has said he fully expects to reach.

However confident the star sounded, he never named the season the title would arrive. Miami enters the campaign regarded as a rung below the Eastern Conference's stronger rosters, with the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers rated ahead of the Heat. The long season ahead offers time to build chemistry and determine how the pieces fit.

Closing that gap will require standout years from role players such as Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell. Elsewhere in the East, stars such as Jalen Brunson and Jayson Tatum hand their clubs an advantage by producing at an All-NBA level on most nights, a standard Antetokounmpo will need to match when healthy.

Health remains the overriding factor in Miami. Antetokounmpo's track record shows he is good enough to push a team through the regular season when his body holds up, and his Milwaukee teams were regular-season powers year after year until an injury derailed last season. Another campaign limited by physical problems would renew doubts about his ability to lead a title run again.

Coach Erik Spoelstra believes the group's makeup can make Miami a legitimate contender as early as this season, and Antetokounmpo has embraced the approach of his coach and the rebuilt roster as the preseason continues.