The Miami Heat enter next season with a reshaped roster, and that leaves a few younger players in position to make noise. After the Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster, the path opened up for a different kind of growth story in Miami - one centered less on the stars the team moved and more on who’s ready to seize a bigger role.
Pelle Larsson stands out first. There’s a real case that his breakout already arrived last season, but the Heat appear to view him as a major part of the rotation moving forward.
The 25-year-old, a second-round pick in 2024, showed clear progress as his shooting sharpened and his production climbed. He shot 49.6 percent from the field and averaged 11.4 points, while the opportunity grew even more because of the backcourt chaos around him.
Terry Rozier missed the entire 2025-26 season because of his involvement in a sports gambling fraud case, and Tyler Herro also missed significant time with injury. Larsson responded by logging a major jump in minutes and starting 54 games.
There’s even a chance he opens October as the starting shooting guard.
Nikola Jovic is another name worth watching, even if the story around him has been a little more uneven. Miami signed him to a four-year rookie extension last October worth $62.5 million, a clear sign that Pat Riley believed in what he could become.
But Jovic faded late in the regular season, appearing in just eight games after January. He’s still only 23, though, and the upside remains intact despite a string of injury issues.
Erik Spoelstra has a track record of getting more out of young players, and Jovic could be next in line if he earns steadier minutes.
Davion Mitchell rounds out the group. He went from being a trade deadline afterthought to a legitimate contributor for Miami, and that alone says plenty about how quickly things can change in this rotation. He may already be close to his ceiling in terms of raw production, but there’s still room for him to build on last season if his playing time grows.
With the offseason nearly finished, the Heat still have roster spots to fill, likely with veteran help as they chase a championship. Names such as Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan and Bradley Beal have been mentioned. But if Miami is going to find a real internal breakout next season, Larsson, Jovic and Mitchell are the players most likely to supply it.
In Other News...
Davion Mitchells Growth Could Shape Miamis New-Look Season
Davion Mitchell heads into next season in a very different place than he was a year ago, and Miami is counting on that shift to help steady a roster that has changed around him. With Giannis Antetokounmpo arriving and Tyler Herro gone, Mitchell is expected to take on a bigger job as the starting point guard, a role that will ask him to organize the offense while still leaning into the defense that has long been his calling card. The Heat have built around a group with multiple All-Defensive-caliber pieces, so his growth fits naturally into a team identity that still wants to win with pressure, toughness and versatility.
Mitchell has not treated the opportunity casually. He has sought advice from former elite defenders Iman Shumpert and Tony Allen as he works to sharpen his own game, and Bam Adebayo has already noticed the work he put in physically this offseason. For Miami, the intrigue is not just whether Mitchell can hold up in the starting lineup, but whether his development can help unlock the rest of the new-look roster and give the Heat the kind of backcourt stability that makes the whole thing fit. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Fans Have A Real Bradley Beal Debate Around Giannis And Bam
Bradley Beal has become a real talking point around Miami as the Heat weigh what kind of help makes sense alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. On paper, the fit is easy to understand. Beal still brings the kind of scoring that can lighten the load on two stars who will already draw plenty of attention, and he would give Miami another proven name if the front office is looking to add a veteran piece with offensive punch.
The harder part is sorting through the risk, because Beals recent hip injury has naturally sparked questions about durability and how steady his role would be from night to night. Miami is also operating in a market where the obvious options are mostly gone, which is why this kind of debate is sticking around. For a team trying to maximize the pieces already on hand, the appeal is obvious, but so is the uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]