The Miami Heat’s new-look roster has plenty of buzz after the addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Stan Van Gundy isn’t buying the hype.
On The Zach Lowe Show, the former Heat coach sounded skeptical about whether Miami’s offseason moves actually solved the right problems. He pointed to the team’s added shooting, but said it may come with a cost on the other end.
“I’m not as high on Miami as a lot of people are. I just, I think, you know, they did go out and add some shooting around those guys, but the shooting that they added compromises them badly at the defensive end of the floor.”
Van Gundy also cast doubt on Davion Mitchell’s fit as a full-time starter, even while noting the boost that comes with playing beside Giannis.
“Even though he was great last year, I’m not sold on Davion Mitchell as a full-time starting point guard, though on that team with Giannis, he doesn’t have to carry a huge shot creation role. Giannis is another guy.
I mean, we talk about all these guys with their health. This guy’s broken down badly over the last few years.”
That skepticism extended to Miami’s place in the East. Van Gundy said he does not see the Heat as a top-tier team and wouldn’t expect them to land in the conference’s top six.
“I don’t see them as one of the top teams in the East. I’d actually be surprised, not shocked, but a little bit surprised if they were in the top six.
They’ve sort of been a play-in staple for a long time here. I mean, I think people still look at Miami because of some of their playoff runs, which they’ve done a great job, and because Spo does such an incredible job.
He’s one of the absolute best in the league, if not the best.”
He then doubled down on his larger point, saying Miami has not been a strong regular-season team for quite a while.
“This team’s been mediocre in regular seasons for a long, long time now. This has not been a really good team.
And I still, I’m not a fan of their rosters. I mean, yeah, of their roster.
I like the addition of Hardaway, Klay. I don’t know.
I think Wiggins is a little underrated, but I think Bam is a little overrated, particularly at the offensive end of the floor.”
“You know, I don’t know. I just, I’m not, I’m not sold on them.”
Miami added Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason in hopes that their perimeter shooting would pair cleanly with Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Van Gundy doesn’t sound convinced that the tradeoff works, especially if the defense slips.
He also questioned whether Davion Mitchell can handle the job at point guard every night.
There was even some concern from Van Gundy about Antetokounmpo’s durability. The former Bucks star played only 36 games last season, though he still put up 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
The Heat finished 43-39 last season, placed 10th in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs entirely. Van Gundy said he would be a little surprised if this group ends up among the East’s top six, despite the attention Miami has drawn after landing Antetokounmpo.
His sharpest criticism was aimed at Adebayo. Van Gundy called him overrated, particularly on offense, even though Adebayo was an All-Star again last season and posted 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Adebayo also authored one of the most eye-popping games in NBA history in March 2026, scoring 83 points against the Washington Wizards. That mark sits second on the NBA’s all-time single-game scoring list, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100.
Defensively, Adebayo’s résumé is hard to dismiss. He has six All-Defensive selections, but Van Gundy’s comments were aimed squarely at what he brings on offense.
The reaction from Heat fans has been predictably strong, especially given Van Gundy’s own connection to the franchise. He coached Miami from 2003 until December 2005 before Pat Riley took over and eventually led the Heat to the 2006 NBA championship.
Even so, Van Gundy made a point of crediting Erik Spoelstra, saying he is one of the best coaches in the league.
For Miami, the challenge now is proving that the new pieces can fit around Giannis and Adebayo well enough to deliver steady results across the regular season. Van Gundy clearly isn’t sold yet.
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Erik Spoelstra has leaned on alternatives such as Nick Richards while Adebayo has been out, but the bigger question is still hanging over the start of the season. Adebayos status for the regular-season opener remains uncertain, leaving Miami to keep evaluating how it wants to piece together the front line if its anchor big man is not ready to go. [Read more 🡒]