Miami Heat: 6 most important players entering play-in

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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