Heat Look to Reset in 2025-26
After Jimmy Butler III left for the Golden State Warriors last season, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo are now the lone holdovers from the 2023 Miami NBA Finals squad. Since that playoff run, the Heat have lost in the first round twice.
In a year where injuries have opened up the Eastern Conference, Miami will look to make another run.
Defense Wins Championships
Last season the Heat finished fifth in the NBA in defensive rating at 112.2. This year, that rate could get even better, hinging on the big men — specifically, Kel’el Ware. He started 36 games as a rookie, averaging 9.3 points and 1.1 blocks.
Summer league coach Eric Glass told Couper Moorhead of Heat.com that the Heat are “just looking for (Ware) to dominate.” If he can translate his summer league performance, where he averaged 17.3 points and 10 rebounds, into the regular season it would allow for Adebayo to start at the four, which would put both elite defenders on the floor at the same time.
While his defensive stats are nothing extraordinary, Adebayo has finished in the top 10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting each of the last six seasons. Sharing the floor with Ware will let Adebayo guard the opposing team’s best big, and Ware to float around and block shots.
On the perimeter, point guard Davion Mitchell joined the team in the middle of the season last year, and continued to prove why he earned the nickname “Off-Night.” His ability to fluster ball handlers and defend bigger players will allow the Heat to run switches him and Adebayo, despite a HOW LARGE height difference. Mitchell also averaged a career-high 1.4 steals during his 30 games with the Heat last season.
Although not as strong on the ball anymore, shooting guard Terry Rozier will provide the defensive spark for the second unit. Last season was the first time in eight years Rozier averaged below a steal per game, but his hustle on the defensive end still made him an above average defender. If Ware and Adebayo both end up in the starting lineup, it will be up to Rozier to keep the defensive intensity up.
Newest Additions
The Heat’s biggest addition in the offseason was trading for shooting guard Norman Powell. He joined Miami in a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz. Powell had a career year in 2024, despite having always been a stronger shooter. He played 32.6 minutes per night, averaging a career-best 21.8 points while still shooting over 40% from 3. His addition to Miami allows for more floor spacing around the potential two-center lineups.
Powell will be especially important early in the season, as Tyler Herro recovers from offseason foot surgery on his left foot. While there is no clear timetable to return, Powell should provide a scoring spark similar to that of Herro.
The other addition of note is rookie first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis, who could contribute immediately. As a freshman at Illinois, he averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
“He’s courageous enough to try to make the play,” Heat coach Eric Spolstra told Couper Moorhead of Heat.com. “He has the vision and he’s willing to try to make it.”
Category: Basketball, Miami Heat, NBA
