Erik Spoelstra may not need Dru Smith to settle his opening-night plans, and that’s exactly why Smith’s spot in the rotation suddenly feels a lot less secure.
Smith is dealing with an injury, though there is still a small chance he could be healthy enough to suit up on opening night. Even if that happens, the bigger question is no longer simply whether he can play. It’s whether Spoelstra still views him as the Heat’s primary backup point guard.
That seemed like the direction things were heading when camp opened. Smith had, at least in the early view, locked down that job. But the injury changed the picture, and so did the preseason play of a couple of younger options.
Pelle Larsson has been part of that shift. Before an illness kept him out of the last few preseason games, Larsson had been handling some of the point guard duties with the second unit.
It was a role that showed up partly because Smith was unavailable, but it wasn’t entirely out of left field. Larsson had already hinted in training camp that he could take on some of that responsibility.
He’s not a pure point guard, but he looked comfortable enough running the offense to matter. For a team that does not have the kind of point guard depth it would prefer going into the season, that matters a lot.
Ryan Conwell has made his own case, too. Over his last three preseason games, when he was getting a larger chance to handle the ball, he averaged six assists per contest. Like Larsson, he may not be the natural distributor the Heat ideally want in that role, but the production says there is something worth watching there.
That’s where Smith’s situation gets complicated. If Spoelstra is willing to lean on Conwell in the opening-night rotation, regardless of Smith’s health, that could be a strong sign that the veteran’s grip on the backup job is loosening.
There’s also the contract angle. Smith has a team option for next season, which makes this a significant year for him. The opening-night rotation could reveal a lot about where he stands with Spoelstra and how the Heat are sorting out their guard depth.
Smith still has a place on this roster once he’s healthy. The issue is that Larsson and Conwell have made enough progress over the last few weeks to suggest that role may not be as large as it looked not long ago.
In Other News...
Heat Just Got The Kind Of Doubt Spoelstra Usually Punishes
The Heat spent the offseason adding a top player, the kind of move that usually changes the tone around a team immediately. Still, an NBA GM survey slotted Miami eighth in the Eastern Conference, and not a single executive put the Heat in the top two. For a franchise that has built a lot of its reputation on outworking expectations, it is a familiar kind of doubt.
Erik Spoelstra has spent years turning less talented rosters into something harder to dismiss, which is why the skepticism around this group feels more like a challenge than a verdict. The question now is whether the new look can live up to the talent on paper and force the league to rethink where Miami belongs once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Still Have One Late Roster Decision To Make
With the roster cut deadline approaching, the Heat still have one more decision to sort through as they take a final look at ways to reinforce the end of the bench. Miami is expected to keep exploring the waiver market, where recently let-go players around the league can become available at just the right moment for a team still weighing depth and fit.
Among the names floating around are Kenyon Martin Jr., Ochai Agbaji and Gabe Vincent, each offering a different kind of appeal if the Heat decide to make a move. Nothing has been reported officially yet, and for now the picture remains fluid, which leaves Miami with a familiar late-summer choice: stay patient with what it has, or use the moment to add another layer of insurance before the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Need Davion Mitchell To Hold One Spot Together
Since arriving in Miami, Davion Mitchell has given the Heat exactly the kind of jolt they were hoping for on the defensive end, and he has quietly added enough on offense to make himself more than just a specialist. His three-point shooting has climbed to a level that has made him a much more useful fit in the rotation, and that matters for a team that needs stability from the guard spot every night.
The bigger issue for Miami is less about Mitchells production than how much the group is leaning on him to keep the point guard spot afloat. Behind him, the options are thin, with Dru Smith offering defense but not much in the way of scoring punch, so the Heat have to keep getting dependable initiation from Mitchell to help carry the offense when Giannis Antetokounmpo is off the floor. [Read more 🡒]