We are in the dog days of the summer, and the Miami Heat aren’t completely done, with at least two more roster spots to fill until opening night. It’s a new year, so which players am I buying stock in heading into the season? Here are my four picks!
Pelle Larsson:
Skinny: I’ve had plenty of shares invested in Larsson since before he stepped foot on an NBA court, and I will keep purchasing more! The 6-foot-5 guard has only grown with more opportunity, averaging 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 60.5 percent true shooting. Beyond his connectivity offensively, Larsson is one of the Heat’s best and most versatile defenders — and he’s not afraid of putting his face at risk when it comes to winning.
Nikola Jovic:
Skinny: Coming off the best season of his career in 2024-25, Jovic had his worst last season. He averaged just 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists, shooting a ghastly 36.6 percent from the floor and 26.9 percent from 3-point range. While he continued to make positive strides defensively, Jovic let his shotmaking — or lack thereof — affect his overall impact. Now, the recently turned 23-year-old is hoping to bounce back — which I am banking on given his unique size and skillset.
Myron Gardner:
Skinny: Gardner, 25, may be the most under-talked about player on the Heat. He may have averaged a measly 3.6 points, but Gardner shot just 40.6 percent from distance — on 5.4 attempts per 75 possessions — and was an excellent rebounder while being a sneaky good wing defender. Gardner consistently got in opponents’ heads and played with an edge. Every team needs a guy like him. I don’t think he’ll be a rotation player right away, but I am investing in his long-term outlook as a role player.
Ryan Conwell:
Skinny: I was a fan of Conwell as a prospect and believe, as currently constructed, he could be a viable rotation player right away. The Heat’s second-round draft choice enters as one of their top volume 3-point shooters, as he shot 38.4 percent from beyond the arc on 7.9 triple tries over his final three collegiate seasons. If Conwell continues his upward trajectory as a defender, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will find a way to get him on the court. And if he’s burying shots, he’ll stick, especially if he’s opening up the floor for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
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The more I think about it, the more I believe Miami will be a top defensive team. If the running game gels and the 3 point shooting is above average, the Heat has a chance to make it to the second round and possibly beyond.
Not surprisingly, the NBA teams that are near or at the top in both offense and defense last season were:
WEST
OKC
San Antonio
Houston
East
Boston
New York
Detroit
Starting Mitchell, Larsson, Wiggins (perimeter) Bam and Giannis (interior) Miami could be one of the very best defensive teams in the league. Dru Smith is also a very good defensive player. I would love to see how Philadelphia’s high scoring first team offense does against Miami’s first team defense.
There is no Powell or Herro to target. However, Fontecchio, Hardaway and Portis are average to slightly below average defenders. Jovic has the potential to be a good defender, as do Gardner and Conwell. I don’t think Miami can afford to bring in any more below average defensive rotation players, if it hopes to remain competitive. Otherwise, the first team will hold its own, or better and the second team will be exploited.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If the Heat can’t be the “Showtime Lakers” maybe they can be the modern day “Bad Boys.”
I m not worried about defense. I m worried about offense.
Many NBA players let their defense go to hell if they are having an ” off night” scoring. If they are mediocre or below average defenders to begin with, that takes them down another notch. I think the running game with Bam and Giannis running and rebounding should be very good.
I think he does too, that is why he ended up with the note…… If the Heat can’t be the “Showtime Lakers” maybe they can be the modern day “Bad Boys.”
The Showtime Lakers were known for their scintillating offense, which may not be the case with the current Heat squad.
The Detroit Piston Bad Boys known for turning their mind jarring physical muscle bruising defense into offense….I doubt the Refs will tolerate those physical hard fouls of yesterday years when men not boys played the game.
Good call IMO, this is a unique roster construction in the NBA that is being overlooked because it’s unlike other teams. The Giannis Bam frontcourt each by themselves makes their team dramatically better on both sides of the ball (Giannis to a MVP level) and is a perfect fit together on defense. Miami will be a top DRB% team after being 8th last year and those rebounds will flow into transition offense. On offense, eFG% was a weakness for Miami last year, they were 18th, and they’re adding a player with one of the biggest impacts on team eFG% after Jokic and Curry. And the strengths on offense they had last year, playing fast while limiting turnovers, are things they can build on this year.
getting rid of unc and zerro d in last few years has improved our d as much as bringing in the greek.the problem i see with the team is when greek is not on ct thats where a derozan is a must.bam is not an alpha point getter.as soon as greek needs a blow enter dd
Miami needs more 2 way players for the second unit so opponents have fewer players to target/ exploit. Players who can score and defend. No more Herros, Uncans or Powells..
i didnt think norm was that bad.i wonder why lol.whos gonna score when greek not in game dont have a viable #2 scorer right now
Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.
He’s got high hopes, high apple pie in the sky hopes. But, I’m more like from Missouri on this one. It’s not impossible, and it does sound so good, but you got to show me.
I can’t wait to see the chemistry between Mitchell, Bam, Giannis and Portis. Plus, I think Jovic’s game will improve with encouragement and mentoring from Giannis. Conwell and Gardner are wild cards who may blossom and end up being rotation players.
Larsson and Jovic MUST play well in order for Heat to be competitive.
Gardner and Conwell may be fighting for quality minutes by the trade deadline or the end of the season.
This will be especially true if DeRozan and Thompson sign elsewhere. I hear DeRozan wants Miami’s full remaining $8.9 MLE and Thompson is looking at signing with the Sixers if he’s bought out.
give dd the whole mle.then pelle is not on same level.we’re talking about a borderline hof player who still getting almost 20 pts a game 49% fg .when greek is on bench or taking kawhi personal days off where are the points gonna come from.greeks gonna miss 10-15 games we need dds scoring when greek is down.he gets his own shot nobody else can do that but greek and sometimes dav
Heat offense with Bam on the court scored 119.8 per 100 possessions last year, highest on the team and equal to NYK offense, below only #1 Denver and #2 Boston. Find the shooting to make up for losing Powell and Herro’s floor spacing and this is a top 10 offense. There’s more self-creation on the returning team than is assumed, starting with Bam, Wiggins, Larsson, Mitchell.
i can see jovic thriving with jokic .if he doesnt work out there jokics brother will mess jovic up.that is one bad ass jokers bro
Most Charges Drawn In The 2025-26 NBA Regular Season (Min. 50 GP):
1. Jalen Brunson — 0.39
2. Marcus Smart — 0.32
3. Austin Reaves — 0.29
4. Brandin Podziemski — 0.28
5. Jaylin Williams — 0.26
6. Isaac Okoro — 0.22
6. Luka Doncic — 0.22
6. Toumani Camara — 0.22
9. Dru Smith — 0.18
10. Pelle Larsson — 0.17
most hits to the face gotta be pelle u got a stat on that
Goran is BMF in this stat
Tyler Johnson?
Solid
Clark followed by Larsson.
sophie cunningham wow that was dirty.
Sophie is spunky for a small white girl. I like that.
What was the mpg of each of the players above Dru and Pelle?
1.Jalen Brunson 35,0
2.Marcus Smart 28,5
3.Austin Reaves 34,5
4.Brandin Podziemski 28,5
5.Jaylin Williams 19,6
6.Isaac Okoro 26,9
7.Luka Dončić 35,8
8.Toumani Camara 33,3
9.Dru Smith 16,3
10.Pelle Larsson 26,4
Thanks Shark. Smith is the real diamond in the rough defender. If he could just elevate his offense.
He’s a good NBA rotation player/has been for a while. Top 10 in charges, tied with Caruso in deflections per 36, he causes havoc for the other team.
Good back-up. I wish he was better scorer. Never was known for scoring, even back in college. Senior year stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.0 SPG (All-SEC Second Team, SEC All-Defensive Team).
I say at least 2 of these 4 will show real improvement this season – the type of improvement that will contribute to the team’s success. And maybe all 4 will.
I watched some Pelle playing for the Swedish national team. I think he will be a bit better next season. Still, I wouldn’t bet on his 3p shooting.
If he takes more 3s and shoots at an average or above % I think it’s possible he’s in the MIP conversation next year. He shot well enough on low volume in NCAA at 39.7% to be labeled a shooter in the draft scouting reports. He’s a similar low volume shooter in the NBA so far, if he had made just 10 more threes over two years he’d be a 36% career shooter instead of 32%.
Well, there is his shot mechanics, which is exactly the same as it was. Also, there is no softness in his shooting. Reminds me a bit on Lebron, which never been a great shooter from distance. I doubt Pelle will ever be, but its not his main strength. If he will become a consistent 35 % shooter for 3p, we should be happy.
pelles a josh hart type player not 3 pt guy.
I think this is a great comparison
He reminds me of Thunder Dan when he was playing with Phoenix. Much better player then compared to when he played for the Heat.
This was some stuff on Larsson’s offense from 2024:
“Larsson’s main skill is on offense, where he plays a versatile role that is mostly predicated on his shooting;
Is a terrific catch-and-shoot player who knocked down 42.6% of his 3-point attempts. Nearly all of those were off the catch, where he made 42.2%;
Has simple mechanics. Most of the time, he gets into it off a 1-2 step when going left and a hop when going right, but he can get to his shot in different ways if necessary and is ready to fire immediately upon the catch;
It takes him a long time to get into the shot, so he’ll need to quicken his load. It’s a set shot with very little lift;
Has no wasted movements and a good follow through, resulting in plenty of swishes. He is an excellent free-throw shooter;
Larsson also plays off the catch well, beyond just shooting the ball. He uses his pump fake to attack closeouts well and slashes effectively to the rim;
He’s mostly a straight-line driver. He hit 62.7% of his attempts at the rim in total this year, with many of those coming out on the break or when he had space for a one-on-one rim contest;
He’ll flash some fun inside-hand finishes and uses his frame to protect the ball well when absorbing contact. He uses that two-foot leap to jump into the defender to create a bit of space;
He’s also comfortable from midrange, using his inside foot to pivot into a turnaround jumper. He didn’t take many of them but made 15 of his 30 pull-up attempts;”
https://www.reddit.com/r/heat/comments/1dq3r3e/pelle_larssons_strengths_and_weaknesses_from_sam/
Things changed a bit. Still ,a great player.
I thought the description of his offense in college is actually the same as what he’s shown in NBA (minus the shooting), what’s unexpected is he established his value as a NBA rotation player through his defense. On offense last year he was 70.8% at the rim, 78th percentile. His FTA took a jump from 1.1 as a rookie to 3.3 with increased minutes, and he shot 79.7% at the line last year. The only part of his offense he looked hesitant on was shooting threes, to me it looked like he shot them reluctantly or as a last resort. That’s a mindset thing that can be changed and it is hard to be good at everything right away in the NBA. The volume was low enough that 3PT% fluctuates up and down if a few more shots go in, so I would not overindex on any low volume shooters 3PT% whether good or bad. And even if the 3 doesn’t improve there’s still a possibility he can improve on offense with his foul drawing ability and off ball movement.
Yes, I know.