The Miami Heat are heading into preseason with plenty of eyes on the usual rotation names, but the real intrigue starts a little deeper down the roster. After a long week of camp at FAU in Boca, the tone from the players was the same across the board: they were worn out.
That included everyone from 14 year veteran Klay Thompson to rookie Ryan Conwell. The workload has been heavy enough that once the games begin, starting tonight against the Toronto Raptors in Quebec, the action should feel a little easier than practice.
Miami is expected to give a lot of its key players early reps, which makes sense for a group trying to build chemistry with a new look. But preseason also has another job: it’s where the bubble guys get their shot to show they can handle real rotation minutes.
Three names stand out.
Conwell is the obvious one. The rookie has been put in spots this week that tell you exactly what the Heat want to see from him.
He’s spent time beside the first unit, with the emphasis on catch-and-shoot work. “Obviously when I'm on the floor with Bam and Giannis, I don't need to score 20 points,” Conwell told me after camp.
He’s also logged minutes with the third unit so the staff can get a better look at his creation and scoring later in camp. Whether his preseason role is mostly spotting up or taking on more handling duties, the draw is watching how he holds up against NBA level talent.
Tre Donaldson may have been the biggest camp riser. He was steering a lot of those third-unit groups, including some of the exhibit 10 players, and he showed the kind of steadiness teams love in a point guard.
He’s controlled, he can set the table, and he has more scoring off the dribble than many expected. The timing matters too.
With Dru Smith having strained his calf in camp, Donaldson’s window has opened. If he puts together a strong stretch of two-way play in these first preseason games, early season minutes would not be a surprise.
Then there’s Nikola Jovic, who fits a different category than the other two. This isn’t about discovering him; it’s about seeing whether he can force his way back into a steady role.
Jovic spent camp focused on one specific area: scoring against strong wing defenders. He was matched up all week with Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson, and he said he knows he can get by bigger defenders off the dribble, but the challenge now is beating the Larsson type defenders.
The Heat need a simpler offensive version of Jovic in preseason, and if he delivers that consistently, it could shape the ceiling of this roster.
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Heat Just Gave Fans An Early Answer On Their Biggest Concern
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There were still some obvious growing pains as the roster starts to mesh, but the shot profile was encouraging enough to stand out on a night when the Heat wanted clean looks and early rhythm. Even with Klay Thompson going scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting, Miami showed promising shooting around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, the kind of combination that could make this group a lot harder to defend if the perimeter touch holds up. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Fans Just Got An Early Look At A Huge NBA Change
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For Miami, it was the kind of preseason call that can shape how games are officiated long before the standings matter. The league wants to cut down on players using an off-arm to create space, which should put a premium on cleaner defense and more precise footwork, and the Heat are now getting an early look at how quickly that standard may become part of the night-to-night reality. [Read more 🡒]
Heat's East Rise Puts One Rival Question Front And Center
Miamis offseason overhaul has changed the conversation around the East, and it starts with Giannis Antetokounmpo joining a roster that already picked up several veterans. The Heat suddenly look like a team built not just to compete, but to pressure the top of the conference from the opening months of the season. For a franchise that has long measured itself by October expectations, the new look gives this team a different kind of weight going into the year.
The problem for Miami is that the rest of the East did not stand still. The Knicks, 76ers and Celtics all made notable moves of their own, and each brings its own blend of established talent and uncertainty to the race ahead. For the Heat, the bigger question is not whether the roster looks formidable on paper, but how it stacks up when the leagues other heavy hitters start testing those additions in real games. [Read more 🡒]