(Photo via Getty Images)
The Miami Heat are heading into the upcoming 2025-26 campaign hungry for a fresh start with a revamped group.
There are just 26 days until media day, 25 until training camp, 31 until preseason and 49 until opening night of the regular season. And the offseason moves are looking like they are final as presently constructed, barring any surprise trade or roster tweaks.
The highlight of the summer came with the addition of Norman Powell. His near 22 points on 48% shooting and 42% from 3-point range will be huge alongside a Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro core. As for the rest of the rotation, coach Erik Spoelstra will quietly have some interesting depth to utilize behind those three.
Despite a lack of bigs, it’s looking like a three-man frontcourt combination of Adebayo, Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic will be the game plan— for now. The starting lineup is yet to be finalized, and likely won’t be official until closer to the start of the season.
But there are several members of this new-look Heat squad primed to step up as an X-factor.
1. Davion Mitchell
As part of a key piece in last season’s Jimmy Butler trade return, and later re-signed this offseason, Davion Mitchell displayed some of the greatest play of his career during the beginning of his Heat tenure.
Mitchell averaged 10.3 points, 5.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals on a sizzling 50% shooting and 45% from deep in his 30 games played for Miami. All those numbers are good for career-high’s.
In those 30 games, he started in 15 of them, and showed that he could be an effective two-way piece in either role. Mitchell quickly became a fan favorite with his defensive tenacity. His play-in heroics helped lead the Heat to be the first 10th seed to win-out of the play-in tournament and into the postseason.
2. Andrew Wiggins
Speaking of that Butler trade, Andrew Wiggins was the headliner as part of the midseason move for Miami. Unfortunately, injuries and playoff struggles impacted his overall performance as he attempted to adjust with the Heat.
However, the former number one overall draft-pick is in his prime years and a proven All-Star and NBA Champion. At his best, Wiggins can help improve the Heat’s chances in the weaker Eastern Conference dramatically. Fans saw the potential after several offensive explosions, including a 42-point masterclass in a win before playoff time.
A full offseason in South Beach and training camp with the squad could pay dividends in getting Wiggins more comfortable. And with the Powell signing, he could slide to a less pressured fourth option offensively.
3. Nikola Jovic
The Heat have been high on the potential of Nikola Jovic ever since he was drafted by the organization in 2022. There has been steady growth from the 6-foot-10 forward as the seasons have gone by, and he’s even been turning heads with his Euro Basket play this summer.
Jovic has some untapped potential as a playmaker and offensive creator. He has already shown signs of such, along with displaying an ability to stretch the floor.
Additionally, he has gotten bigger and stronger each year in the league. He may need to tighten his handle and start to make strides on the defensive end, but there’s a lot to look forward to with Jovic’s continued development in Spoelstra’s system.
4. Kel’el Ware
The youngster that Heat fans may have the most stock in is Kel’el Ware.
The 21-year-old 7-footer undoubtedly has the talent to be a force, although the effort and motor is still a question mark. Ware earned his way into the Heat’s starting lineup next to Adebayo midway through last season, but struggled in his first bit of playoff action. The Cleveland Cavalier’s bigs had their way against Ware all throughout the series sweep.
Ware is going to be another work in progress amongst the young core. But his flashes of being an elite rim protector and lob threat, along with being capable of shooting the three-ball is too intriguing to not be invested in.
***
To check out our other content, click here.
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter/X here!
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram here!
Check out Hot Hot Hoops on Facebook here!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!
Another X-factor: Can Tyler Herro go from All-Star to All-NBA level? James Harden was All-NBA 3rd team and is a useful comp. Harden had more AST, more FTA, slightly less scoring and FGA than Herro last year. That’s the direction Herro needs to go. This year going in for the first time it is Herro and Bam’s team.
with the way Jovic plays, he’s not a big…not a traditional one at least. i guess only for height and positioning reasons. he looks more like an sf-sg. dunno wat pat and co is cooking but its a wait and see scenario for now. as usual. but pls no guards already. unless its DMitch from cavs 😁
On offense, sf, and on defense he would probably fare better against the opposing pf. They can have Bam or one of the others, like Pelle or Keshad, guard the sf. I also think Jovic needs to allowed to run free on offense. He seems very good in transition going to the basket, passing to driving teammates (or lobs), or setting up on the perimeter for catch and shoot threes.
Mitchell, Wiggins, Jovic and Ware
-Plus-
Powell, Larsson, Jaquez, Fontecchio, Smith, Johnson and Rozier.
If half of the preceding players have good years, to go along with Bam and Herro, the Heat should have a .500 team. I can’t wait to see the competition in training camp for rotation spots. I’m still hoping Miami can make at least one more trade or free agent signing to bolster the front court rotation before the start of the season. If push comes to shove, Precious would be a good fall back position.
Depth Chart
Herro, Mitchell, Smith, Jakucionis
Powell, Larsson, Rozier
Wiggins, Jaquez, Fontecchio
Bam, Johnson
Ware, Jovic
Several possible line-up combinations. Here’s one:
Mitchell, Herro, Wiggins, Bam, Ware
Smith, Powell, Larsson, Jaquez, Jovic
Jakucionis, Rozier, Fontecchio, Johnson
I would definitely take a flyer on O-Max Prosper. 23, very athletic, rim runner, defender, poor shooter at this point.
He would require veteran minimum right?
Yes, I believe so. But, remember, as long as salary is shed prior to the end of the season (by February trading deadline for example), you still remain out of the luxury tax,
I watched a lot of Dallas because of Luka in past years, which includes watching Prosper.
He didn’t improve a bit in those years there. He is basically an unpolished version of Pelle.
Not an NBA level player IMO.
He only played 40 games in 2023-24 and 52 games 2024-25, averaging 10 minutes per game. Not sure how you can draw a conclusion with such a small sample size. All the other attributes I mentioned are there – age, athleticism, defense. For the minimum, I would definitely take a chance on him.
News: 2 days ago
The Mavericks were forced to let go of Prosper in order to sign Dante Exum. Charania notes that Prosper generated a lot of interest elsewhere before he ultimately agreed to join the Grizzlies. Because he’s on a two-way deal, Prosper could spend a lot of time with the Memphis Hustle in the G League to open the season.
Starting rotation should be Mitchell Herro powell bam ware bench rozier Larsson Wiggins fontecchio jovic