Key starter for Miami in rematch against Bulls with shoulder injury

As it is The Miami Heat are dealing with murky injury information ahead of Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, there’s no denying how underpowered the team will be in Thursday night’s rematch. While it is The heat is looking to get out of eighth seed purgatorythe team needs to be healthy, and Saturday is another hurdle, as key backs will miss the contest.

The key starter in question is the point guard Davion Mitchell, who will miss the game against the Bulls as he continues to deal with a sprained left shoulder.

Saturday will be the ninth in the last 11 games that Mitchell has missed, and also his sixth in a row. He was vital as Miami’s starting point guard, leading the Heat with an average of 7.2 assists to go along with nine points per game on 47 percent shooting from the field.

Along with Mitchell, Miami will also miss other guards such as Norman Powell for “personal reasons,” as he leads the team in averaging 23 points per game. Furthermore, in what was an unfortunate common occurrence, Tyler Herro will be sidelined with a rib injury listed as “Right Costochondral; Rib Injury,” making Saturday his ninth consecutive absence and 39th game missed overall.

Warmth Erik Spoelstra doesn’t want to rush Davion Mitchell’s recovery

There is no denying it Mitchell’s importance to the team as the Heat gave the guard a $24 million contract last offseason after excelling in the second half of the season after being traded to Miami in a multi-team deal with Jimmy Butler. Head coach Erik Spoelstra would talk about wanting to be careful with Mitchell’s injury and how rookies Kasparas Yakutsionis and Drew Smith have filled in nicely.

“He’s our offensive defender, and our tempo is great with him. While he’s been out, I think Cass (Jakutsionis) and Drew (Smith) have done a very good job with both of those things,” Spoelstra said before Wednesday’s loss to the Orlando Magic. “They’re doing it a different way. We miss him, but we want to be smart about it. I think he’d be fine right now without contact. So we’re just going to continue to treat him, and then he’s doing more and more on the field. . . .”

Asked Erik Spoelstra about Davion Mitchell missing another game, if long-term, and what the team misses when he’s gone:

“He’s a point-of-attack defender and our pace is great with him…we miss him but we want to be smart about it…” #HeatNation

Full answer: pic.twitter.com/lRrb3JdU5c

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 28, 2026

The Heat are 26-23, which puts them in eighth place in the East when they play the Bulls on Saturday and Sunday.