The Miami Heat are still a week out from media day and 24 hours farther from the start of training camp in Boca, but the competition has already been building. This is a new-look Heat group, and camp will give them the first real stretch of shared work - all team activities, on and off the court - after a summer run in LA led by Davion Mitchell that the group called “Pain Camp.”
That week matters because it’s where roles start to take shape. Some players will be trying to lock down rotation spots.
Others will be pushing for a starting job. And with the Heat expected to trim things down to a ten-man rotation once the season begins, the next few days could decide more than a few minutes here and there.
One of the cleanest battles sits between Nikola Jovic and Simone Fontecchio. They don’t bring the same game at all, which is exactly why the decision matters.
If the expected starting group is Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, then the bench picture starts to get crowded quickly with Dru Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr, Pelle Larsson and Bobby Portis already in the mix. That leaves Jovic and Fontecchio fighting for the same kind of opening.
Miami has to decide whether it wants Fontecchio’s shooting or Jovic’s passing and upside. Camp should at least give an early answer.
Dru Smith looks like a pretty steady piece in that second unit, the kind of guard who can get the ball where it needs to go and hit open shots when defenses give them up. But the Heat also want to see what Tre Donaldson can do with that backup guard spot.
He’s spent the offseason around Mitchell and Smith, training with them and seeming to learn from both. Camp will be his chance to show he belongs in that conversation against real competition over five days.
The backcourt picture gets even more interesting with Thompson and Hardaway Jr. The easy assumption is Thompson starts and Hardaway Jr comes off the bench, but that doesn’t mean Spoelstra will hand it to them that way.
He has a habit of making newcomers earn those spots, especially when their skill sets overlap. Thompson’s catch-and-shoot game makes him look like the better fit with the starters on paper, while Hardaway Jr could be asked to create more than people expect.
There’s also the closing-game question. If Miami needs one shooter with four minutes left, camp may help determine who Spoelstra trusts most in that moment.
Then there’s the pairing of Wiggins and Larsson, which is tough to frame as a true fight because both can help. Wiggins is easily one of the most overlooked players on this roster, and Larsson is the one who could rise fastest.
They both bring perimeter defense, the ability to make something happen without the ball, and transition pop. This season, both will have more responsibility with the ball too.
Miami will use them together, but if the final closing spot comes down to one of them on a given night, that becomes a real decision. Ideally, both shoot well enough to stay on the floor late.
If not, it could turn into another camp battle with a very useful answer.
Ryan Conwell is the wildcard in all of this. Over the next two weeks, he could become one of the bigger stories because his game gives Miami something it needs.
The question isn’t whether he has a place to compete - it’s whether he’s ready to be used this early in his rookie season. The real test is less about beating out Dru Smith or shooting better than Fontecchio and more about convincing Erik Spoelstra he can contribute right away.
For Conwell, camp is about playing his game and letting everything else sort itself out.
In Other News...
Heat May Have A Late Point Guard Opportunity Worth Watching
Ryan Nembhards name has surfaced at an interesting time for Miami, with the guard now expected to be waived after being part of a three-player deal involving Atlanta and Charlotte. For the Heat, it creates a possible late backcourt opening to monitor as they continue weighing ways to add depth before camp, whether that means bringing in another body on a training camp look or moving straight toward a standard deal.
Nembhards appeal is easy to understand for a team that values organization and decision-making in the backcourt. He spent four seasons in college and then got his first NBA taste with Dallas, where he earned a standard contract and flashed some playmaking ability. If he does hit the open market, Miami will have to decide whether his upside is enough to make him part of the mix, and whether the fit is right before other teams get involved. [Read more 🡒]
Andrew Wiggins Could Be Exactly What The Heat Need Again
Andrew Wiggins is stepping into Miami with a familiar kind of pressure, the sort that comes with being asked to fit cleanly beside established stars and still make a real mark on both ends. In this case, the Heat are counting on him to slide into a significant third-option role next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, a setup that could give Miami another long, versatile wing presence if everything clicks the way it did at times in Golden State.
Wiggins has already shown he can matter on a contender, especially during the Warriors 2022 championship run, when his two-way value helped shape a title teams identity. The question for Miami is whether that version of him shows up often enough to matter over the course of the season, because the Heat do not need a flash of impact so much as dependable scoring, steady defense, and the kind of efficiency that makes the rest of the roster easier to organize. [Read more 🡒]
Heat May Have Given Up More In The Giannis Deal Than Expected
The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade gave Miami the immediate jolt it was looking for, but the move also sent Kasparas Jakucionis to Milwaukee, and that part of the deal is already drawing attention. The 20-year-old guard spent his rookie season in Miami showing a blend of efficient shot-making and defensive activity that made him look like more than a throw-in, even if his role was still limited.
Now in Milwaukee, Jakucionis appears headed for a bigger opportunity, which is exactly what can make the long view of a blockbuster trade tricky. His college and NBA tape point to a guard who can handle the ball, make plays for others and stay engaged defensively, so the Heat may eventually be judged not just on landing Giannis, but on how much young upside they were willing to include to get him. [Read more 🡒]