We are one day away from the Miami Heat’s play-in game against the Chicago Bulls. Miami is looking to make history, hoping to become the first-ever team to win two play-in games away from home.
They won’t be able to do that without several players stepping up in hostile environments. We know Erik Spoelstra will go 8-9 deep in the rotation, so I listed the Heat’s six most important players ahead of Wednesday’s matchup.
Who are they? Let’s examine!
6. Alec Burks
This may be a surprise to you, but hear me out. Burks was a mainstay in the Heat rotation over his last 10 games, in part due to injury. The 33-year-old wing was quite impactful, averaging 11.7 points on 45.6 percent shooting from 3-point range on 6.8 triple tries over that span. He likely won’t give the Heat more than 20-25 minutes, but he’s been one of the team’s most reliable floor spacers over the last month–which the Heat will need with Duncan Robinson’s back injury ailing him.
5. Davion Mitchell
I was very high on Mitchell when he arrived. Yet, he’s exceeded my expectations. He’s the Heat’s best point-of-attack defender and will be tasked with trying to slow down Josh Giddey and Coby White on Wednesday–which is no small task. Mitchell’s also been one of the Heat’s facilitators–averaging 6.0 assists to 1.7 turnovers over the last month–while shooting 44.7 percent from 3-point range (albeit on 3.1 3PA) over his last 30 games. If he can continue to generate paint touches and make defenses pay, Miami’s floor raises.
4. Andrew Wiggins
Wiggins struggled to find his footing upon his return after missing six games with a hamstring injury. Perhaps this extra rest will help him unlock the gear the Heat will need, given how malleable he his on both ends of the floor. We’ve seen brief glimpses of strong play both offensively and defensively. And I believe his size and creation capabilities could pose a problem for the Bulls, which is why I have him where he is on this list.
3. Kel’el Ware
The Bulls aren’t big, but they are going to play with pace and put strain on the Heat’s defense. How will Ware fare against that? We’ve seen glimpses of good with Ware this season, but it hasn’t been super consistent. We’ve seen the tale of two Ware’s in the three meetings against the Bulls as well. He ended the season on a positive note, but can he parlay that into being one of the most dominant bigs on the floor (outside of Adebayo) when Miami needs him to be?
2. Tyler Herro
You could argue that the first time All-Star was the Heat’s best player throughout the entirety of the season. However, Herro has struggled mightily in clutch situations–where Chicago’s thrived–and his defense, while improved, has been a bit of a roller coaster. He’s will get hunted and the Bulls will throw the kitchen sink at him defensively. How will he respond? That may decide the fate of Wednesday’s game.
1. Bam Adebayo
While Miami sometimes runs on Duncan (Robinson), they also run on Bam Adebayo. He was also quiet in their most recent meeting against Chicago, scoring just 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting with six rebounds in 35 minutes. When he’s aggressive, the complexion of the Heat offense changes. Adebayo has been their best player since the All-Star break and I’m expecting a more aggressive version against Vucevic, a league-average defender (at best). They need him to play well if they want to survive another day.
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quitter will eventually wear down his endurance not like stehp or dunc
Jimmy was great last night but they looked spent after that one. Luckily the first round has days off, but the Rockets might be able to outlast them on youth if they can get the series to game 6 and/or 7. People picking GSW on experience, which is a smart play, but my hunch is the wheels fall of GSW by game 5.
we shall see what bam is made of tonight.if he doesnt take 20 fg att tonight he needs to be shipped out for a real alpha.pats prob not gonna get a better player than bam next year..he needs to up his game so we are calling him playoff bam.
I don’t disagree he needs to step up, but so does Herro. Riley challenged Herro on playing more and he answered the bell and played the most minutes of any guy on the team. Now he needs to go put up a performance in Chicago.
ty will get his shots off only problem player who he is guarding will get plenty of shots off to
https://www.nbadraft.net/2025-nba-draft-extended-mock-draft-4-0/
This one has us getting Jase Richardson, which would be nice. I think he’ll go higher though.
I think so too. I like Fleming. I think he will fit very well into the system as a combo PF/C to alternate with Bam and Ware. Ware/Bam, Ware/Fleming, Bam/Fleming works for me. The Heat can always trade up to get a PG or can alternate Mitchell and Smith until a killer deal comes along. Both are natural PGs and good defenders.
I think we need to try and package both picks, if the team loses in play-in, and try to get Fears or Tre Johnson. If you can’t, and of course depending who falls, since we won’t know until draft night, but I want a bigger PG like Kaspar dude or Demin. A Giddey-like PG seems like a good route and keep Off Night as your defensive bench stopper/spark plug.
But this is all before the combine and interviews. This thing is going to change several times before we pick.
Do you mean package both picks to move up? Or in a trade? If we get both 11 and 18 and we can get Fears, Demin, or Queen or similar talent with #11, I’d like to see them keep both and get a backup center with 18-20. Of course, if we can package 18 plus a future pick plus assets in a trade for an A-A+ player, that’d be great.
Whoever wins tomorrow’s game should walk all over Atlanta for the 8th spot. They were outplayed across the board. For example, they were outrebounded by 12 and had 38.1 FG% and 19.0% 3PT%.
Memphis screwed up taking Edey over Ware. Dude looks a little slow in more ways than one. Turnovers killed Grizzlies. They had 19 vs 10 for G.S.
should have played aldama over him.edey gets the ball looks like he doesnt know what to do with it.
Looks like Jimmy has fully recovered from the injuries that kept him out of the line-up in so many games and grossly underperforming in so many others the past two seasons. I guess they weren’t as serious as we thought…nothing a two year contract extension and a change of scenery couldn’t cure.
Exactly. “Pinball wizard in a miracle cure”. Extra…
Ironically, the Heat would have been a better team with Ware, Bam, Herro, Mitchell and this version of Jimmy than the Warriors are with him. He gave up on his teammates, the fans and the city a little too soon. Oh well.
I said something similar in this thread. He did not give his all for this team this season or last season. When he makes the effort like he did tonight, we can see the impact that he has on a game. It’s a shame he made money and his hurt feelings the issue.
It’s a shame to think that someone who works as hard as he does could consider intentionally missing games and underperforming in others in order to get what he wanted. That’s the most unethical thing an athlete can do, with the exception of outright throwing games.
Speaking of throwing games, if I was unethical and knew I was going to intentionally miss certain games or underperform in others, it might be tempting to secretly bet (through a third party) on the outcomes of those games. At minimum, it might be tempting to tell my friends and relatives so they could make a few bucks on the games. Jus sayin.
y r u brining terry into the conversation.
I think with Terry it’s a Karma thing. Butler still hasn’t met his demons. His “come to Jesus moment” is just around the corner
he thought he was worth the $$ i tend to agree.u gotta keep your ss happy rc ask bron dwade.if dunc wants his cookies tell him f u.if bron wants certain cookies answer is anytime bron.
He was worth the money early on, but not the last 1 1/2 seasons when he wasn’t giving an effort. You’re seeing what he did last night. THAT would be worth the money early. That was NOT what he was giving the Heat.
The problem is that he hadn’t been playing like a SS for over a year. You don’t reward past performance with future max money. You know how that works. As far as we could tell from his performance and availability, he was on the downside of his career. Who knew he was sandbagging until the last month or two when it became obvious to everyone?
tommy can u hear me?
Who is this…Uncle Ernie?
Ain’t seen nothing like him in any amusement hall. From Soho down to Brighton I must have seen them all…
please help me was he dogging it before riley refused to extend him or after.he did practically single handedly take us to 2 finals so why not reward him for that.they gave a guy who coulndt guard my grandma 6 years 90 mil .one of many terrible contracts by pat ova da years.its time for sun to shine in miami.if anything he’d be the coolest looking gm
He was missing too many games. Riley challenged him and his agent to increase his availability and effort. Riley issued the challenge again before this season. If Butler had stepped up, he probably would’ve gotten the extension here. Instead he checked out.
Regardless, it’s water under the bridge. He’s gone. He ain’t coming back. In life, you play the cards you have, not the ones you wished you had.
We all saw the decline in Butler’s game and thought it was age and that “playoff Jimmy” was something in the past. How could we have known he was that pissed at Pat or intentionally sandbagging/quiet quitting that much? Missing games, fucking off and showing a whiney bitchy diva attitude doesn’t get you what you want where I come from. It gets you a divorce. F him. I still don’t understand why he took it out on the team. They didn’t do anything to him @$$hole.
i still think alot of it had to do with the players around him.he prob felt it wasnt good enough for jewelry.if pat had gotten him a legit c i might have met rc and 30 on bisc blvd in uly
He was premature in jumping the gun. I wonder if the results would have been different if Spo had played Ware from the beginning and traded for Mitchell early on?
So if you feel like you don’t have good enough talent around you, you don’t play your best?? That’s not a ss, that’s a front runner. That’s not the type of player I want on my team. Did Wade give less effort when the team wasn’t great? No!
The gsw pick will be #20.
Or 18?
You mean our pick. If we are in lottery also, it looks like we can get a quality PG and PF/C. See composite mock draft below.
https://www.nbadraft.net/nba-mock-drafts/consensus/
Yes, our pick from them. And I’m dizzy from looking at mocks. Every one is wildly different beyond the first 5 picks or so. I’m still hoping for the 2 picks, but we should get a quality B level player with this one. Of course, the team must secure an A or A+ player to move back into contention.
I’m thinking maybe a player and one or two picks can get Miami an A- player this summer. If not, the Heat can always lay the groundwork to build the team of the future after next season when the books are cleaner, our younger “keepers” have had another year of experience under their belts and a several free agents will be available. I’m seeing 2026-2027 as the year Miami has it’s resurgence.
I am not a fan of McNeely there. I just get a major Duncan deja vu feeling reading about his strengths and weaknesses.
I’m not either. Anyone Miami drafts must be a quality two-way player or an off the chart scorer with potential to learn to play defense. What I find interesting is the individual ratings by categories and overall scores. It’s very clear the top tier is far better than the rest. There are a few “projects” with high upsides that might be worth considering.
My thinking is similar but not exactly the same. Particularly when it comes to backup center, as long as he is at least 6’10”, can rebound, play stout defense, block the occasional shot, and be available for lobs. In other words, an anchor for the second unit.
As for pg, again, excellent point of attack defender, good ball handling and distribution, a reasonable ability to shoot, and hopefully somewhere between 6’4”-6’6”.
5 sec violation come on wtf
That is just one of the worst ways to end a game. Totally unacceptable.
refs just cant do that to determine a game unless it was clearly greater than 5 secs.was a terrible way to end a game.
memphis needs a 3 wheres dunc when u need him
currys endurance much better than the quitter
Its a Jimmy and Steph show.
jimmy for 3 qtrs steph closer jimmys out of gas
we have the bam and ty show
quitter nice turnover
curry dagger thats it dam
quitters out of gas he did that to us few times laker finals
96 96 wata game
who needs ja ja we got baine
butler 6 missed fts more please
steph might be greatest shooter i say bird #2
ja ja gabor out dam put ava in
come on thug your ok please beat gsw
jas hurt dam 82 80
pippen or pelle pat prefers pelle i guess
There s nothing wrong with Pelle. Pippin played 79 games, Pelle 55. Pippin played 50% more minutes. Jury is still out.
pippins better player ask his dad
desmond baine looking great
how to impact a game watch quitter .tys a good scorer his impact on winning becuase of his d turnovers volume shooting is minimal,hes very tradeable
In the NBA, a good assist-to-turnover ratio is generally considered to be above 2:1. Guards typically aim for ratios above 2:1, while forwards and centers may have lower expectations. The ideal ratio can also depend on the player’s role and position on the team.
Herro is slightly better than 2:1.
in order to get ss heat gonna need to trade ty or bam.id rather trade ty.he gives up lots pts ,still gets bullied way to much.just doesnt have the nba body youd like to see.pelle has a nice nba strong body
heat might want to look at their training staff maybe try some diff stretching techniques or get diff equipment.jimmys flying around like hes 20 years old
Again, he’s done this with every team he’s been with
It is called effort or lack thereof.
go grizz 76 72 a 2qbn run
instead of drafting pelle how bout a pippen pat
grizz better with aldama than mount edey
Trae got thrown out birdies lost now waiting for Heat err…Bulls 😁
edey was unstoppable in college .not the case in nba
And you wanted the Heat to draft him
in college he was dominant in the nba looks like a big white stiff
As opposed to big black stiffs like Anthony Bennett or Wiseman?
tony bennett great voice
It seems you have left your heart in San Francisco tonight
good one rc.my hearts in memphis tonight though
to big to slow
how did mark eaton have a good career he could hardly move
chicagos not that good of a team from 1 -32 i got them about 20.the great eight are all healthy if we cant beat a very mediocre team changes should be made.riley needs to call it a day .move spo to gm and bring another coach in
since feb 8 jimmy #1 steals and deflections
i hope pats watching the warrior game.at 80 prob sleeping
jimmy looks great the heat lol
the more i watch playoff jimmy the more i dislike pat.youve got to kiss ss ass.whatever they want give them.
Fk Butler! For weeks you’ve been calling him a pos quitter. Now that he’s in playoff Jimmy mode, you want to get back together with the girl who cheated on you. He quit on this team for 1 1/2 seasons.
yes he is a pos but watching him on the tube rc i wish he was still a heater playing like this .where did it go wrong wtf happened.the team now is better than any team he had
he single handedly won this game when steph was on bench
He quit when he didn’t get his extension before last season. That’s on him. He lied when he said it didn’t matter. He lied when he said I’ll go to any team but Miami. If he had played his butt off, the Heat would’ve been in good shape and they may have given him the extension. He didn’t do that. The Heat suffered as a result. With a motivated Butler, this would’ve been a different story.
why didnt pat want to extend him
Availability. Missed 25, then 18 games. Last season missed 22 more games and out for the playoffs. Injuries are not a players fault, but remember, Riley called out Herro too. Herro took it to heart and played his ass off. Butler quit even more than the previous season.
where did he get these fresh legs,im surprised the spring hes got in them didnt see that coming
He’s always played well with his new team. He’s motivated. You guaranteed the Warriors blog he’d be injured in his first month. Didn’t happen.
He has his joy back, I suppose.
maybe he wasnt injured just quit on us
I believe he definitely was injured going into the playoffs last season. But, yes, he quit on us for almost 2 seasons.
This is just lol
Jimmy just showing off in his new team. He could’ve done the same in south beach but chose to be a diva. You’re falling for this “show” of the quitter
He has done this with every team he’s been with.
sixers couldnt keep him and tobias they chose tobias
with chi minn he left because he thought he was worth more than what they were offering
You don’t remember his blowups in Minnesota?
And he demanded a trade because he was PO’d they paid Tobias instead of him. He was right to feel that way.
Hawks vs Magic refs dont want Orl touching Trae or they blow the whistle lol
The Heat will also need at least two of the following players to bring their “A” games, if healthy:
*Jovic has missed 27 straight games due to a fractured right hand. However, he has a chance to play in Wednesday’s game in the Play-In Tournament in Chicago, which would give Miami a much-needed boost off the bench.
I dont think Spo will play Jovic. But agree with Kyle and HH to do their thing. Or not. For picks sake. Get it? Pete’s to picks…. nevermind lol
If Miami can’t beat Chicago with their “A” team, they deserve to be in the lottery.
keep the guy that cant guard there much better off.tys d is pretty bad with him and 55 on ct bball suicide
pelle jjj keshad jovic will not play
Depends on how Anderson and Highsmith are doing.
anderson is so solid not worried about him.ware needs to gobble up some of hhs minutes.not impressed with hh,your playing 5 on 4 with him on the ct.ware ty bam wigg dav need to play 35-40 mins theres no tomorrow.burks could be a wild factor if hes hitting his 3s that will help immensely.go ja go grizzlies
wild card