Davion Mitchell’s hold on the Miami Heat point guard job is already drawing skepticism, and that’s not exactly the kind of noise you want hanging over a team that just landed Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Heat enter the 2026-27 season with real momentum for a turnaround, especially after trading for Antetokounmpo to pair him with Bam Adebayo. But while that move changes the ceiling of the roster, it also reshapes the backcourt, where Mitchell now appears to be in firm control of the point guard spot after the exits around him.
Mitchell has given Miami reasons to believe. In the 2025-26 campaign, he posted a career-high 6.5 assists per game and shot 39.5% from deep, showing clear growth as both a creator and a floor-spacer. Still, not everyone is sold on him as the kind of lead guard this version of the Heat needs.
That pushback came from a familiar voice. Mario Chalmers, the former Heat point guard who won two championships during the Heatles era alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, questioned whether Mitchell has shown enough as a true playmaker.
“I love Davion Mitchell. I think he’s a great PG.
I think he’s a great backup PG. I haven’t really seen him be the playmaker that Miami has traditionally had, as far as Carlos Arroyo being a playmaker, Tim Hardaway was a playmaker, I was a playmaker.
I’m not saying he can’t do it, but I haven’t seen it so far from him," Chalmers said on the Miami Heat Zone podcast.
It’s a strong opinion, especially with plenty of Heat fans already viewing Mitchell as worthy of the starting role. But Chalmers has earned the right to speak on the position, and his comments add another layer of pressure to a season that already carries big expectations.
For Mitchell, the response has to come on the floor. He has been working hard this offseason, and with Antetokounmpo now in the mix, the Heat know the spotlight is only going to get brighter.
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From Miamis perspective, the explanation cuts close to the bone because Wade pointed to the sort of roster questions that can shape a superstars thinking. He suggested the Heat had too much uncertainty in the backcourt and too many concerns about shooting, even if there could still be other reasons for James choice that never became public. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Still Have One Backcourt Decision To Make Before Camp
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Gabe Vincent has also been mentioned as a possible candidate, which keeps the conversation open even after New Yorks move. For Miami, the question now is less about whether it could use another veteran guard and more about which direction it wants to take before camp settles in, with the final decision still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Expansion Draft Debate Just Exposed One Big Roster Question
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The names that surface in that conversation tell the story of where the roster stands right now. Bam Adebayo would obviously be at the center of any protection list, while Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Davion Mitchell, Bobby Portis, Pelle Larsson, and rookie Ryan Conwell all fit into the broader decision tree in different ways. It is the kind of thought experiment teams hope stays hypothetical, but for Miami it also exposes a larger roster question about how much certainty it really has beyond its core. [Read more 🡒]