The Miami Heat’s uneven start has already pushed them into a tricky spot, and the latest concern is hard to ignore: Tim Hardaway Jr. just isn’t giving them enough.
Miami has won four of its last six games, so the season isn’t spiraling. But the production from Hardaway Jr. has been so light that it keeps dragging at any momentum the team tries to build.
Through 10 games, he’s averaging a career-low 4.6 points while shooting 24 percent from 3-point range. Andrew Wiggins hasn’t exactly steadied things either, putting up eight points per game on 31 percent shooting from deep.
That kind of output leaves the Heat with a simple problem. Two players expected to matter are barely making a dent, and that makes it much harder to stack wins with any consistency. If Wiggins and Hardaway Jr. don’t start finding their rhythm, Miami may have no choice but to search for help elsewhere.
One name that has surfaced is Kevin Porter Jr. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Heat have “shown interest” in Porter Jr.
That doesn’t mean a deal is close, and it’s unclear how aggressive Miami would be this early in the season. Still, if the current offensive issues keep going, the Heat could be pushed into a move they wouldn’t otherwise want to make.
The obvious pushback is defense. Adding Porter Jr. could come with tradeoffs on that end. But the counterargument is just as straightforward: Wiggins and Hardaway Jr. aren’t exactly locking people down right now, either.
Porter Jr. would at least bring a different kind of spark. He’s a free agent now, and last season in Milwaukee he averaged 17 points and seven assists.
He’s not a clean, steady shooter, but he does offer shot creation and playmaking. That could make him a real option for Miami’s bench, especially after the team moved Pelle Larsson into the starting lineup.
If the Heat wanted to use Porter Jr. as a sixth man and let him run the second unit, there’s a path there. Whether Miami is ready to go that far is another question. But the more Hardaway Jr. and Wiggins struggle, the harder it gets for the Heat to ignore the idea.
In Other News...
Heat Win Revealed A Rotation Problem Spoelstra Cant Ignore
The Heats latest win over Sacramento came with a look that felt more like a test drive than a permanent answer. Miami rolled out a new starting lineup and still found a way to finish with a 114-108 victory, with Pelle Larsson getting the nod before fouling out in the fourth quarter and Davion Mitchell supplying a double-double in a game that asked plenty of the teams perimeter defenders. Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 29 points and Klay Thompson adding 23 for the Kings, the bigger takeaway was how much the Heat continue to shuffle pieces while trying to settle on a group that can hold up on both ends.
That uncertainty is hard to ignore for Erik Spoelstra, especially with defensive concerns lingering on key wings and the rotation already forcing him to lean more heavily on younger options. Rookie Ryan Conwell is among the players seeing a larger role as Miami searches for answers, and the win only sharpened the question of how long this patchwork approach can last. The result was encouraging, but it also made clear that the Heat are still sorting out who belongs where when the games tighten up. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Already Face A Bigger Question After Early Lineup Shakeup
Erik Spoelstra wasted little time making a notable tweak to Miamis starting five, turning to Pelle Larsson for the teams 10th game of the season and moving Andrew Wiggins out of the opening unit. It was the kind of early-season adjustment that signals more than a one-night message, especially with Larsson bringing a shooting touch above 40 percent while Wiggins has been stuck below 30 percent and has had trouble holding up on defense.
For the Heat, the change is less about one swap than about what comes next. Spoelstra and his staff are expected to keep adjusting rotations and testing different roles as they search for a better fit, which means this lineup shakeup may be only the first step in a longer evaluation of how Miami wants to organize its perimeter minutes. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Sends Clear Message About Leaving Bucks Drama Behind
A viral clip from the Bill Simmons Podcast put Doc Rivers back in the spotlight this week, with the former Milwaukee Bucks coach revisiting the challenges of coaching Giannis Antetokounmpo. For Miami Heat fans, it was a reminder of how quickly the league moves on from old friction, especially when the names involved are still among the most recognizable in the game.
Giannis answered the noise by making it clear Rivers is no longer his coach and by steering the conversation back to where his attention is now. The Bucks difficult stretch under Rivers is part of the backdrop here, but the bigger point is simpler: both men have moved on from Milwaukee, and Antetokounmpo is focused on his current team rather than reopening an old chapter. [Read more 🡒]