Patrick Beverley thinks the Miami Heat still have a hole to fill, and he’s pointing straight at the backcourt.
The 12-year veteran said on the Thananalysis Show, a podcast hosted by Thanasis Antetokounmpo, that Miami is “one or two pieces” away. His biggest concern: point guard depth.
“They need a point guard,” he said on the Thananalysis Show, a podcast hosted by Thanasis Antetokounmpo. “I like Davion Mitchell as a starting point guard, but behind him, they need a veteran point guard.”
Mitchell is coming off a strong first run in the role. Last season, he posted 9.3 points on 49 percent shooting, 2.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists and a steal across 70 games, all starts. His 4.3 assist-to-turnover ratio also sat among the league’s best, and he’s expected to keep building on that production this season.
The question is what comes next behind him.
Dru Smith is projected to be the backup point guard. For Smith, last season was his first full year in the league.
The 28-year-old averaged 5.6 points on 41.5 percent shooting, 2.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-high 1.4 steals in 70 games, with one start. He isn’t a natural point guard, but he has shown an ability to get others involved.
Behind Smith sits Tre Donaldson, who signed a two-way contract after going undrafted this year. Donaldson spent his final college season at Miami, playing for the Hurricanes in Coral Gables. In 35 games, 33 of them starts, he averaged 16.4 points on 45.4 percent shooting, 3.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals.
Even with that depth chart, the Heat have reasons to feel comfortable. Erik Spoelstra has long shown a knack for getting the most out of his players, and Miami still has one standard roster spot open. Victor Oladipo has also been granted access to the practice facility at the Kaseya Center.
Oladipo could become part of the answer. He’s a combo guard who can create and score, and the 34-year-old is pursuing a comeback after not appearing in an NBA game since 2023. If he returns, he could provide another offensive boost off the bench.
Miami has already shown it can get by without a flashy point guard rotation. In the 2023 playoffs, the Heat used Gabe Vincent as a starter and a 36-year-old Kyle Lowry in a reserve role before reaching the NBA Finals.
So while Beverley sees a need, the current setup looks workable for now. The Heat’s point guard situation should be fine unless it proves otherwise.
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Heat Still Have One Big Bench Decision Left Around Davion Mitchell
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Gabe Vincent has come up as a familiar name, and Cam Payne is also viewed as a possible option for adding experience and leadership in reserve minutes. Even with those possibilities in play, Miami is still taking its time on the decision, and the way it fills that spot should tell plenty about how the team wants to stabilize its guard rotation for the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]