We have officially reached the 25-game territory in the 2025-26 Miami Heat season! There has been great, good, bad and ugly for the Heat, who are currently 14-11 and in the middle of a four-game skid. With that said, let’s put on the professor hat and hand out some grades for each Miami Heat player through 25 games!
Bam Adebayo:
Skinny: The start of last season was a step back defensively from Adebayo’s standards. That hasn’t been the case to start 2025-26. Adebayo’s played like one of the best defenders in the sport through 25 games. Offensively, he’s shooting more 3-pointers — with mixed results — though his finishing has positively regressed after a down season in 2024-25.
Grade: A–
Simone Fontecchio:
Skinny: Fontecchio got off to a red-hot start, but has cooled down over his last 11 games. He’s a 3-point specialist; when he’s not making threes, he doesn’t do much else that brings tangible value. He’s one of the Heat’s true volume shooters, so his 3-point efficiency will be important to monitor throughout the season.
Grade: B–
Tyler Herro:
Skinny: Herro missed the first 17 games due to foot surgery. It’s difficult to evaluate his first six games. On one hand, he’s averaging 23.2 points on good efficiency. On the other hand, his playmaking has been objectively bad — it’s clear he needs more ball screens to be an effective passer — while his point-of-attack defense has been even worse.
Grade: C+
Kasparas Jakucionis:
N/A
Jaime Jaquez Jr.:
Skinny: Few have benefited more from the Heat’s new fast-paced offense more than Jaquez. He hasn’t been as impactful over his last six games due to dealing with a groin injury. But he’s still averaging 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists on 51.2 percent shooting and 56.5 percent true shooting on the season.
Grade: B+
Keshad Johnson:
Skinny: Keshad! He blossomed in his first real opportunity with the Heat this season, scoring 14 points with 11 rebounds and two blocks on Nov. 21 against the Chicago Bulls, followed by a pair of four- and seven-point efforts against the 76ers and Mavericks, respectively. In a limited role, he’s an impactful player. Though it’s been an uphill climb to garner any sort of minutes.
Grade: C+
Nikola Jovic:
Skinny: It’s been a woeful start to the season for Miami’s 22-year-old wing. Growth isn’t always linear, but Jovic hasn’t shot the ball well nor has he fit into the Heat’s new offense. He’s a better on-ball defender than he gets credit for, and he’s had moments getting downhill off closeouts. But he hasn’t been as efficient nor impactful — at least nowhere near the level he was heading into the season.
Grade: D
Pelle Larsson:
Skinny: If I had a dime for every time Pelle Larsson got hit in the face, I’d be rich! OK, maybe not rich, but it would be a healthy sum of money. The second-year guard has done well in a larger role this season as one of the Heat’s best connectors, cutters and on-ball defenders.
Grade: B-
Davion Mitchell:
Skinny: You could argue that Davion Mitchell is one of the Heat’s three- or four-most important players right now. The 6-foot guard is averaging 9.8 points and 7.8 assists on 51.1 percent shooting and 39.3 percent from 3-point range. His point-of-attack defense is invaluable, while his playmaking has been a huge boost to a Heat offense that desperately needed it.
Grade: A-
Norman Powell:
Skinny: It’s been a treat watching Powell blossom in his first season with Miami. It hasn’t all been perfect; turn off the final 18 minutes of Tuesday’s game. But Powell is playing at a fringe All-Star level, averaging 24.6 points and 43.6 percent from 3-point range. For the most part, his defense has been solid and he’s jelled with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. He’s arguably Miami’s most malleable player not named Bam Adebayo.
Grade: A
Dru Smith:
Skinny: It continues to blow my mind how well Smith is moving despite coming off multiple season-ending knee injuries over the four years. Smith’s efficiency has tailed off of late. But he’s still been an impactful player off the Heat bench because of his disruptiveness defensively and smart decision-making.
Grade: B-
Kel’el Ware:
Skinny: It’s been a roller coaster first 25 games for Ware; his highs are very high, and his lows are very low. While his motor has been better this season, Ware is still navigating through the pace and nuances on the court, which has led to some struggles (which is OK!!). I’ve loved his vertical spacing and his activity on the glass the last 15 or so games.
Grade: B+
Andrew Wiggins:
Skinny: Wiggins is at his best when he’s doing all the dirty work — particularly attacking the offensive glass and defending the opposing team’s best wing. His decision-making has been … inconsistent, as has his efficiency, even though he’s shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point range on 4.7 triple tries per game.
Grade: B
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- 2025-26 Miami Heat Player Review: Simone Fontecchio
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- Recap of Pat Riley’s 2025-26 end of season press conference
- Tyler Herro to undergo ‘minor procedure’ on foot
- 2025-26 Miami Heat Player Review: Bam Adebayo
- These 3 Heat players should not be on the team next season
embid 39 pts pg 23 ouch
Ahead of Heat even with all the missed games
if embids 80% of what he use to be ditto pg with maxey mccain grimes edgecome theyre an easter conf champ contender.think the heat are not that.pat u still there my friend
Overall, very good ratings. From a trade perspective, Miami should try to hold on to all Tier 1-2 players (Powell, Mitchell, Adebayo, Ware & Jaquez).
Of the remaining players, Miami should also attempt to keep Smith, Larsson and Jakucionis (who will all still be under rookie contracts beyond this season).
That leaves Wiggins, Fontecchio, Herro, Jovic, Rozier and Johnson as expendable* players.
Tier 1:
Powell
Mitchell
Adebayo
Tier 2:
Ware
Jaquez
Tier 3:
Wiggins*
Smith
Larsson
Fontecchio*
Tier 4;
Herro*
Tier 5:
Jovic*
Rozier*
Johnson*
Incomplete:
Jakucionis
Short of a blockbuster trade for a ss such as Antetokounmpo, I wonder what kind of trades Riley can put together by the February 5, 2026 NBA trade deadline to get rid of the expendable players and upgrade the roster. At the very minimum, Miami should be able to get a very good Tier 1-2 SF and a Tier 2 PF/C.
Worst-case scenario, Miami can attempt to trade Wiggins, Johnson, Rozier and Fontecchio (expiring contracts totaling $65M) by the deadline and continue pursuing trades for Herro and Jovic over the summer.
Is Herro in tier 4, because there is no other candidate for that?
Show some mercy and move him to tier 3 (he wasn’t that bad) and move Johnson (he scored 14 once) and Jovic (he scored 29 once , and passed the ball to Wiggins for a win).
I would have rated Herro higher if he could play a lick of defense. He is an all-star that might fit perfectly with another team. We already have a good PG in Mitchell and SG in Powell.
Jovic has until next summer to get his head and game together or he will be a candidate for a trade. The Heat can use his size and skills, but not if he has a head problem. That’s why I keep insisting that he be sent to Sioux Falls to get his head and game together. Right now, I feel every time he is inserted in the line-up, he is an accident waiting to happen.
I like Johnson, but I just don’t see him evolving/improving. He is still very raw with a ton of potential. Again, I think he could also benefit from some playing time in Sioux Falls rather than sitting on the end of the bench in Miami. His contract expires this year so he doesn’t have much time to demonstrate that he’s ready to take the next step.
mitchell tier 2 lack of scoring and height disadvantaged
Great point of attack defender and a very good playmaker. 7.8 apg and 39.3% 3 point shooter. He would be aery good back-up PG if Miami had a great two-way PG starter, but it doesn’t. Until/unless Miami trades for an excellent PG, Mitchell will do just fine.
poa defender good description.once a player gets sideways with mitch hes cooked to small.i dont know why he doesnt try to attack the rim more hes super quick and could add to his single digit points per game
johnson cant grade spolstarized by top 15.
I find the ratings for each player spot on. I totally agree. Nice to know someone who is highly knowledgeable sees what I do. If I had to quibble, maybe Simone got a half grade higher than he deserves, or maybe not, but I wouldn’t change another grade.
Somehow I suspect someone might rate – Herro D, Simone D, Pelle F, Jovic F minus minus, Ware A, Keshad A+++++. 😆😆
simone pelle jovic bad players those europeans guys dam gimme some bros from nyc chi phily det thats where i like my players from.ty killed the teams success.keshot incomplete.ware incomplete
You forgot to mention Herro, Jaquez, Jakucionis, Spo and Riley. Then, Arison can sell the team and it can be moved to Jackson, Mississippi.
i said ty killed teams success.jjj look like a mexican greek going to the rim.that lasted for about 12 games.kaspar where is he cant see him.spobot is as good as his players prefers short men .riley is the reason why we talk about the heat as a successful org.
“Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m schizophrenic, and so am I.”
im gonna start calling you socrates sun man
LMAO!
As long as its not the “Big Aristotle.”
If only we had great bro players like Anthony Bennett, Harold Miner, Dahntay Jones, Eddie Curry, Ronnie Price, Greg Oden, Hasheem Thabeet, we’d have a true dynasty.
look at the best players over the last 40 years.out of the top 50 how many were black how many white how many from sweden italy lol.bird mchale nash jokic doncic off hand thats all i come up with
Because you don’t do much research. There are definitely more. But I understand your point. My point is simple: not every black player is good, not every white player is bad.
If you are going to start splitting NBA players up by race, then Multi-racial athletes should get their own separate category since they are not just one race.
You can’t just call players like Wemby, Steph, Booker, Haliburton, Durant, Irving, Towns, Tatum and many others black when it’s convenient and ignore the fact that the blood which runs through their veins may also be of whites and other races/ethnic groups.
⬆️ What he said
And, of course, I put the blame squarely on Herro (0-6) for Powell, Bam, and Simone missing 14 of those 18 3s.
ball was moving team ball was disrupted
What does that have to do with those players missing 14 out of 18 3s? Nothing.
if im a player and we were rolling then certain player was added and now we are not rolling im not happy with said player.do u think jjj is really happy with herro coming back i dont know about that lets look at our team prior to tyler and then when he got here.not saying team has sukd becuase of him but lets just say if he was still injured would we be looking this bad i doubt it.when a good player is added to a team what generally happens.hes just not a winning player it should clear as day by now.talented offensive player but doesnt make team better.id rather go with limited skills pelle over tyler
You missed my point, again. Do you see anywhere in my comment where I said the flow of the offense didn’t change when Herro returned? No, because I didn’t say or suggest that. The pace has DEFINITELY slowed down since he returned. But part of the reason is that teams have adjusted with zones and other defensive schemes.
I said Herro did not cause those players to miss 14 out of 18 3s. That is a simple, factual truth.
tyler over dribbles alot and players know that balls gonna stick and stop moving
Doesn’t change what I wrote one bit.
Teams have adjusted their defenses to counter Miami’s new, faster paced offense. Spo must now make adjustments to counter those counters. Its an ongoing process.
”id rather go with limited skills pelle over tyler”
And you question if i know anything about the game????? LOL. Do you think anybody, anybody connected to this league would suggest Pelle is a better player, or more playable, than Herro? Let me give you a little hint – NO. And I like Pelle and think he’s a good 8-10 player in a rotation.
team was playing pretty dam good with pelle at the 2.he wasnt doing much but getting outof the way of norm pelle and wiggy.and playing pit bull d now jjj and wiggy look average ,coinicdence or not tyler back?if u score 20 and give up 30 what good are u
That’s not what he does. You’re moving the goalposts again as usual.
And again, whatever his deficiencies may be, anybody who suggests that Pelle is a better player, or more valuable player than Herro, has no idea what he’s talking about or it’s just a personal bias issue. Or both.
Solid supporting cast in search of a ss.
True, exactly.
ja morant attainable if head on straight make us favs in east greeks a pipes dream
Check his stats again and have your people call my people. You ok with letting Mitchell and draft pick go too?
Make that Herro, Mitchell and draft pick.
mitchells played very well no doubt.hes a playin type pg.morant can get u to ecf,plus hes so acrobatic every night he will wow u.i like being entertained.btw thank u mr reid please do another 15 years of heat games thats approx how much time i got left.once e reid retires that will be the worse day in heat history for hfl .id say second was the breaking up of the big 3.third jimmy quitting middle of season .what are your 3 worse moments sun rc?
Butler quit the entire season before the trade. He is neither in my best or worst list. For me, the Allan Houston shot, Mashburn passing to Weatherspoon, and I’d have to think hard about #3.
While championships are exhilarating, I have to say the best Heat moments for me were Van Gundy hanging on to Zo’s leg, and the Ray Allen shot.
Like life in general, I try to forget the negative and focus on the positive. Life is too damn short to waste it on negative thoughts.
Positive thoughts bring positive results. Negative thoughts bring misery. I ain’t got time for that s**t!
Right, but I’ve run into my share of people who aren’t happy unless they’re miserable.
Fair assessment. I wouldn’t change it for more then a half of grade for any player.
I agree. Pretty much exactly what I see too.
Well, it looks like damn near all of us are in agreement.