The Miami Heat are heading into training camp with a handful of fresh faces and, just as important, a few big questions that should shape everything around them.
At the center of it all is the fit between Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. On paper, the concern is easy to spot: not much shooting.
But Adebayo has been improving his jumper over the past few seasons, and Miami has already seen him share the floor successfully with Jimmy Butler for years. The pairing didn’t exactly fall apart then - the Heat made two Finals and another Eastern Conference finals in five seasons.
What makes that duo so fascinating is what it could look like defensively. There’s a real case that Antetokounmpo and Adebayo are both top 3 defenders in the sport, and the combination of their versatility and technique could be unlike anything the league has seen in recent memory, maybe ever.
Then there’s Klay Thompson, the new Heat sharpshooter who still has plenty left in the one area that matters most for him: hitting threes. The bigger question is whether he can recover some of the other pieces of his game.
He may not be the defensive stopper he once was, but Miami’s setup gives him room to work. With Adebayo and Antetokounmpo behind him, plus Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell on the wings, Thompson will be surrounded by a huge amount of defensive talent.
That kind of support could let him conserve energy and pick his spots, and if he can still make big defensive plays on key possessions, that would be a major bonus for Miami.
Nikola Jovic is the other storyline worth watching closely. His career has been uneven, and last season he was statistically one of the worst players in the league, especially when it came to shooting. The question now is whether that was just a bad stretch or a sign of something more serious.
There is at least some reason for optimism. Jovic has found his rhythm again with the Serbian National team, and if that smooth play carries into the NBA season, it could help solve a lot of problems for Miami. He appears to have his confidence back, and that may be the biggest thing he was missing.
In Other News...
Heat Just Got One More Serious Problem In The East
The NBAs decision to fine Kawhi Leonard $700,000 without handing down a suspension keeps the Raptors positioned as a major factor in the East, and that matters for a Heat team already trying to navigate a crowded conference race. Leonard is expected to start the season playing for Toronto, which only adds to the sense that Miami will have to earn everything it gets against one of the leagues most complete challengers.
For the Heat, the bigger issue is not the fine itself but the reality it preserves: Toronto still has Leonard healthy and available, and that makes the path through the Eastern Conference a little tougher. Miami has spent enough time fighting for its place near the top of the standings to know how thin the margins can be, and this latest development only sharpens the competition around it. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Just Lost A Key Chance To Ease Their Biggest Backcourt Concern
Ben Simmons is off the board, and with him goes one of the more intriguing chances for the Heat to address a backcourt issue that has lingered into the offseason. Sacramento landed the former All-Star, leaving Miami to continue sorting through a roster that still has one open spot and a clear question mark when it comes to creating offense and handling the ball.
The Heat can still choose between adding a veteran guard or preserving the flexibility that comes with staying patient, but the pool of realistic options has only gotten thinner. Health and availability were always going to be part of the Simmons conversation, and those concerns likely factored into Miamis decision to look elsewhere, yet the bigger concern now is simpler: there are fewer pathways left to ease the playmaking burden before the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Andrew Wiggins Deal Shows Exactly How Heat Are Planning Ahead
Andrew Wiggins new deal with the Heat says as much about Miamis next few years as it does about the wing himself. The three-year contract, which includes a player option and a two-year extension, is worth $64 million and gives the team a clearer roadmap for how it wants to build around him.
The structure is the real tell. Wiggins is set to make about $30.17 million in 2026-27 before dropping to roughly $16.51 million the following season, a built-in shift that lines up with Miamis view of him as a third star first and an elite role player later. It is a contract tailored not just to todays roster, but to the shape the Heat want that roster to take next. [Read more 🡒]