The Miami Heat swung for the fences this offseason and landed Giannis Antetokounmpo, but not everyone is buying the idea that the move automatically lifts them back into the playoff picture. On the latest episode of The Ringer NBA Show, Michael Pina said he has the Heat pegged as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference next season.
Pina’s biggest concern is simple: he doesn’t see a clean offensive blueprint. He pointed to shaky three-point shooting, spacing issues, and a lack of offensive creativity as reasons to doubt the fit. In his view, what worked for Milwaukee last season doesn’t translate to how teams win in the NBA right now.
“They got Giannis,” Pina stated. “They gave up all their depth, like really key depth pieces that actually let that offense function and how they played last year, which was like super fast, make or miss, we’re taking the ball and we’re sprinting up the court, and we’re making maybe one or two passes, and then we’re going to the rim and seeing what happens.
“And like Jaime Jaquez [Jr.] was a huge part of that,” Pina continued. “Tyler Herro was eventually a big part of that.
[Norman] Powell was a part of that… They have one movement shooter, Tim Hardaway Jr., who had the best three-point shooting season of his career last year. You know, Nikola Jokic was his teammate.
“Nikola Jokic is not on this team,” Pina added. “If he shoots 34, 35% from behind the three-point line, the wheels could just fall off on this offense.
And then when you look at like the names and the fact that there’s no backup center… They also need shooting. Giannis and Bam [Adebayo] together is incongruous to the point of me putting them at the 11th seed.”
Pina does think Miami could be stout on defense. The issue, in his eyes, is putting points on the board.
He also said the Heat’s place in the standings is affected by the rest of the conference, which he believes has either improved or gotten healthier. He even suggested this could be one of the rare seasons when the East is clearly stronger than the West.
Miami was 10th in the East last season at 43-39 and then lost to the Charlotte Hornets in its first play-in game, ending a run of six straight playoff appearances. That slide made a major shake-up inevitable, and the Heat went big in getting Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks.
The deal brought Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Nate Ament (No. 13 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft), two first-round picks, one pick swap, and one second-round pick.
Pina argued the Heat paid too steep a price and haven’t done enough to replace what they lost. So far, Tim Hardaway Jr. is the only free-agent addition, and Pina raised questions about whether his shooting will hold up away from Nikola Jokic.
Even if Hardaway does give them a boost, Pina still sees shooting as a problem. He also noted that Miami was hunting for a playmaker, which is why it was after LeBron James. The Heat were viewed as one of the favorites to land James, but he went to the Philadelphia 76ers instead.
That left Miami in the same conversation Justin Termine had already started, when he said the Heat might not even be a top-six team in the East without James. Pina took the skepticism even further by leaving them out of the postseason entirely.
More moves could still come before opening night, but the market doesn’t appear to have a clear difference-maker left. Miami has been linked to Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan, though both are seen as solid players at this stage rather than game-changers.
Even with all that uncertainty, Antetokounmpo still changes the math. If he’s healthy, he gives the Heat a real shot to get back into the playoffs.
The 31-year-old averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game for the Bucks in 2025-26, a season slowed by injuries. The expectation is that he’ll be back at an MVP level in Miami.
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Heat Can No Longer Ignore A Growing Nikola Jovic Problem
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The stakes are even higher because Miami has clear financial reasons to get Jovic on track as it continues building around Giannis Antetokounmpo. For the Heat, this is no longer just about patience with a young players growth curve. It is about whether a roster spot, a meaningful chunk of salary and a long-term plan can all be aligned in a way that helps Jovic contribute in a way the team can trust. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Shooting Problem Could Put One Young Prospect In The Spotlight
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Donaldson is still very much a work in progress, but the idea of finding help from within matters if the Heat decide not to add a proven outside threat before opening night. For a team that has spent plenty of time looking at external answers, the possibility of a homegrown contributor stepping into the conversation gives this subplot a little more texture, even if the final shape of that role is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Still Have One Roster Spot That Could Quietly Matter
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The search for that kind of fit is already turning toward the free-agent market, where Miami can weigh a few different profiles against what it needs most right now. The question is less about splash and more about usefulness: a guard who can provide backcourt insurance, a big who can survive in the middle, or a defender who can earn trust quickly. For a team trying to preserve balance after a major trade, the smallest move on the board may end up being one of the more important ones. [Read more 🡒]