MIAMI — Scroll through comments from Erik Spoelstra over the years since the end of the Big Three era with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and there has been a recurrent theme from the Heat coach.

“It’s a very nice balance between youth and veteran. We just need to put it together.” — Spoelstra, Feb. 7, 2015.

“We’ve had veteran teams. We’ve had young teams. We have a mix of that kind of team this year. I’m just excited.” — Spoelstra, Oct. 10, 2016.

“I think we have a very good blend of veteran, experienced playoff-tested players. But also our youthful players have significant playoff experience, more so than a lot of other younger players at equivalent age. And I think that makes our team unique.” — Spoelstra, Dec. 4, 2022.

A year ago, during a private moment after practice, Spoelstra spoke of the unique duality that has driven the Heat in recent years, the balance between veteran guidance and player development, a balance that the Heat, for years, have insisted need not be mutually exclusive.

It is a formula that not only has driven the Heat deep into the playoffs the past four seasons, with veterans such as Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, P.J. Tucker, Kyle Lowry and, of course, Jimmy Butler, but also fast tracked the development of young players such as Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro (as well as others who have moved on, such as Kendrick Nunn, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus).

Win. Win.

At times, there even was speculation of cashing in the youth, ample rumors involving both Adebayo and Herro in recent years. But for the most part, the only element of future thought discarded has been the draft picks moved to help ease the salary-cap and luxury-tax burden. Such has been the cost of making sure there was flexibility for eventual veteran additions that sometimes worked (Kevin Love) and sometimes didn’t (Trevor Ariza).

But now, a crossroads is on the horizon, with Lowry, at 37, having his contract coming to an end this season, and with Jimmy Butler, 34, extension eligible in the offseason.

Those decisions dovetail with the Heat arguably in position for the first time in years to move forward with a youthful core that truly could stand as the next wave.

All because of what the Heat unearthed at No. 18 in last June’s NBA draft.

In that regard, Jaime Jaquez Jr. stands as a potential game changer.

In Adebayo, Herro and Jaquez the Heat arguably have a sturdier bridge to the future than at any point during Pat Riley’s franchise stewardship, three players who complement not only with their skill sets but also contractually, with Adebayo at a max level, Herro at slightly less, and Jaquez on the rookie scale.

One arguably would have to go back to the franchise’s inception, with the likes of Rony Seikaly, Sherman Douglas, Glen Rice, Steve Smith to find a period when so much youth stood so promising.

Of course, had Joe Cronin not left his cell phone on silent mode this summer when the Heat were trying to contact the Portland Trail Blazers regarding Damian Lillard, the landscape at the moment could be decidedly different from a youth outlook. Ultimately,  the Blazers’ general manager did not deem Herro and Jaquez worthy.

Then Herro added another chip to his shoulder. Then Jaquez began conjuring (albeit perhaps somewhat prematurely) comparisons to Shane Battier and Dan Majerle. All the while, Adebayo has grown into a reliable two-way factor.

That’s not to say that the Feb. 8 trade deadline couldn’t alter the youthful outlook.

But there is something worth building on here, something intriguing, something up-tempo and dynamic. The game with Adebayo, Herro and Jaquez, is — dare we say it? — fun.

The balance is that the mesh of young and old has provided trips to the Eastern Conference finals in three of the past four years, NBA Finals visits in two of them.

Altering the course is not an approach taken lightly.

And if there wasn’t the emergence of Jaquez, a path that likely would not even be considered.

But with their own pick in the upcoming draft, there is a chance for even more for the Heat. That is not to suggest any type of tank, certainly not with Adebayo, Herro and Jaquez having been mined in the middle of the first round.

But depending where this heads with Butler, where this ends with Lowry, there now is bona fide, star-level youth to be mined.

From a Pat Riley team, no less.

And that could change the life balance Spoelstra has spent nearly a decade stressing about the Heat.

IN THE LANE

WITH MEANING:  Considering it has been years since the Orlando Magic have stood as a playoff threat, it would be easy to write off Heat-Magic as a rivalry. But Heat forward Haywood Highsmith made clear after Wednesday night’s victory in Orlando that Florida bragging rights remain a thing. “They’re a good team, got young players, young legs, a lot of lottery picks,” Highsmith said. “So we came in here, wanted to make a point that we’re still the top dog in the division, still top dog in Florida, still the big brother.” The teams have three games remaining in the season series. The last time the Heat and Magic finished 1-2 in the Southeast Division was in the pandemic-altered 2019-20 season, when the Heat closed 44-29 and the Magic 33-40.

STILL LEADING: Only now being worked back into the mix after being sidelined since Oct. 30 with a knee injury, former Heat guard Gabe Vincent nonetheless is approaching his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers from a position of leadership. Asked about his team’s uneven play, Vincent, who left the Heat in July in free agency for a three-year, $33 million contract, said, “Travel has been tough but I think we can just play harder, man, to be honest. I think we just got to challenge ourselves a little bit and give a little more and I think we’ll come together. We’ll grow closer, get better each day.” Vincent was sidelined for the Lakers’ Nov. 6 visit to Kaseya Center. The Heat play at the Lakers on Jan. 3.

BACK AT IT: It took a while, but former Heat forward James Johnson is back in the league, re-signing a week ago with the Indiana Pacers, after serving as a locker-room leader with the team last season. “It was never over in my mind for me,” said Johnson, 36, who was with the Heat from 2016 to 2020. “I was just working out and staying patient.” Johnson met Dec. 1 with Pacers coach Rick Carlisle between games of Indiana’s recent two-game set in Miami. “When Daniel Theis moved on to the Clippers in the buyout situation, it opened up a spot,” Carlisle explained to the Indianapolis Star. “You see if the need for the spot and if anything else is going to happen. He helped with the development of not only our younger guys but our veteran guys, too.”

NO SABAN, NO WAY: Having started a new podcast with former Heat teammate Mike Miller, retired former Heat captain Udonis Haslem ended the first episode with predictions on the college football playoff. That led to a discussion of Haslem’s passion for the Miami Dolphins, and, therefore, lingering distaste for Alabama coach Nick Saban. Ultimately, Haslem said that is why he is picking Michigan over Alabama in a national semifinal. “I’m going with Michigan now,” Haslem said of that Jan. 1 game. “Roll Tide.” Haslem said former Heat teammate Juwan Howard coaching Michigan’s basketball team also was a factor, but mostly it was about his Saban distaste for bolting the Dolphins for the Crimson Tide in 2007. “Nick, you told us you weren’t leaving. You told us you weren’t leaving,” Haslem said. “I picked up the paper . . . you packed, you went back to Tuscaloosa, over Miami? How dare you.”

NUMBER

8-0. Record of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra in Christmas games, with the Heat’s eight-game Christmas winning streak going into Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Kaseya Center the longest active Dec. 25 run in the NBA (the all-time record is 13 by the Portland Trail Blazers, through 2007). The Heat’s 11-2 Christmas record over the franchise’s 36 seasons is the best Dec. 25 win percentage in the league (.846).