Erik Spoelstra snapped his preseason winless streak before kickoff

ByNBAUSA


MIAMI – With The Miami Heat are closing in on the regular season openerthe team would end up going winless in the preseason as the final contest came against the Memphis Grizzlies, 141-125. While fans lock theirs bold predictions for the upcoming season of the Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra gave his thoughts on the team losing every preseason game.

Norman Powell had another impressive offensive game, scoring 23 points on eight-of-13 shooting from the field and three-of-six from beyond the arc, along with six assists. Bam Adebayo would also contribute 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists as Kel’el Ware he started without Nikola Jovic and scored a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins would each get 10 minutes in a limited preseason, but they still saw solid minutes as Spoelstra told ClutchPoints that “saw” much of what he wanted to see with the starters. Plus, Spoelstra touched on Miami going winless in the preseason for the first time since 2007 when the team eventually finished 15-67.

“There were some things I wanted to see in this game, and I saw a lot of them, and a lot of it was with the starters, and in some of those rotation minutes, when the second unit came in. So we’re going to build on that. We’re not going to focus on the preseason record,” Spoelstra said.

“We’re going to focus on some things that are consistent with how we want to play,” Spoelstra continued. “Defensively, we’ve talked about it a lot. We’ve got to do a better job on the glass, and that’s going to be the most important thing in Game 1. Orlando will definitely be hitting the glass, and we’re going to have to get back to all five positions.”

The Heat need to make lineup decisions ahead of the season opener

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies forward Olivier-Maxens Prosper (18) defends during the first half at Cassia Center
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

With players on Heat ready for regular season and the Oct. 22 opener against the Orlando Magic, the starting lineup is still unknown with less than a week to go. A few constants are that Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and rookie Norman Powell will be there, but the question remains as to who starts in addition to the latter two in the backcourt and frontcourt.

As Tyler Herro slated to start the season with an ankle/foot injury leaves the starting point guard spot open, with the two choices Spoelstra seems to be considering being Davion Mitchell and Drew Smith. Mitchell has started in the preseason since returning from a calf strain, but Smith has usually been the first off the bench to work with the starters.

Mitchell told ClutchPoints on Thursday that it doesn’t matter if he starts or not, citing his play off the bench last season, where he brought a spark to the second unit. Spoelstra will have to debate between himself and the coaching staff about the importance of Mitchell’s ability to make the play work better as a starter or even on the second unit.

Smith is dealing with another season-ending injury, but has been a hit in the preseason and looks to be a key component in the team’s rotation as well. Before the Achilles injury, Smith was playing impressive minutes off the bench, but the question is whether that will be enough to start, unless Spoelstra believes Mitchell can help the bench more.

If the preseason is any indication, Mitchell is the starter, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him as the first or second player off the bench when the regular season begins.

Loads with a frontcourt decision, plus a reduced lineup

Another story is under siege Heat star Kel’el Ware and expectations for his second seasonespecially regarding whether or not it will start. Ware impressed last season as a rookie, starting much of the second half of the season, but with the emphasis on a quicker attack, Jovic started alongside Adebayo in the front court.

It wasn’t until the last few preseason games that Ware saw minutes with Adebayo, which could signal that Jovic will start the season. While it remains to be seen what the rosters will look like, Miami made some cuts that will be made official Saturday before Monday’s deadline to go from the preseason maximum of 21 players to 18 for the regular season.

The Heat gave up Ethan Thompson, Dain Dainjo, Bez Mbenga and Precious Achiuva, which will surprise most fans after reuniting with the team last month on a non-guaranteed contract. Jahmir Young was not fired and will likely receive a third two-way contract.

Before the news, Spoelstra spoke about how difficult are conversations with players.

“We try to communicate it as much as possible in advance,” Spoelstra said after the preseason loss to Memphis. “It’s always difficult for a player to manage that, to translate that at this point, but it’s a transition, and I think guys are coming to us now, they understand what our player development program is, and when you go to Sioux Falls, it’s literally an extension of what we do here as the lifeblood of our player development. So I think it’s always been better communicated to those when you talked, but when you talked.”

Either way, Miami looks to open the regular season on Oct. 22 against the Magic.





2025-10-18 04:04:00

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