MIAMI — It is a prime Miami Heat drinking game, just how drunk over the course of a season one can grow as Erik Spoelstra turns some variation on “embrace the competition.”
At times, it can stand as pithy, when the opposition is far superior, as was the case in last season’s record-setting playoff-series humiliation at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But largely, at least in the view of the Heat coach, grasping challenges is the only way to go … and grow.
In that regard, the arrival of training camp at Florida Atlantic University in three weeks will offer ample embracing of competition, even before Spoelstra’s team gets to the preseason schedule.
Camp battles? Arguably as many as the team has seen in years, reaching to just about every aspect of the roster.
In each case, nothing personal, just business, for a team that needs to get down to some serious business coming off a 37-45 season and facing an opening schedule when the Heat likely will be underdogs in seven of their first eight.
Pelle Larsson vs. Jaime Jaquez Jr.: No, nothing to do here with the top of the rotation, arguably nothing more than to see which of the two recent draft picks might stand as eighth or ninth man, if that.
But also as intriguing a competition as any in camp.
On one hand, there is the downward arc of Jaime Jaquez Jr. going from All-Rookie to last season’s sophomore slump. On the other, there is the steady progress this offseason from Larsson after a relatively limited rookie role last season.
So a turnaround from the 2023 first-round pick or Larsson continuing his momentum out of the 2024 second round?
Kel’el Ware vs. Nikola Jovic: There are layers here that go beyond the individuals, namely how Spoelstra envisions the rotation as a whole.
If Ware retains his season-ending role as starter, then Jovic resumes his role as versatile sixth man.
But that also could limit the rotation at center.
By contrast, starting Jovic at power forward would create a clear delineation of starting center (Bam Adebayo) and backup center (Ware), but also cast forward-favoring Adebayo in a role he seemingly feels miscast.
The Heat like Jovic most as a sixth man, with his versatility and energy. But the team also sees a benefit in making Ware earn the starting designation.
Andrew Wiggins vs. Norman Powell: Yes, both likely will start. But as Spoelstra cycles through the rotation, decisions likely will have to be made about a hierarchy, when it comes to creating minutes on a roster loaded with wings.
Powell is entering a contract season, and Wiggins could be as well, with a 2026-27 player option..
How it plays out starting in camp could not only factor into Spoelstra’s rotation, but also how management approaches the future with the two veterans.
Tyler Herro vs. Davion Mitchell: Is there a point guard in the house? Mitchell comes closer to that delineation, even in Spoelstra’s world of the position-less.
Yes, Herro likely will be cast at that spot in the starting lineup in order to maximize the overall rotation. But with games in the balance during clutch time — an aspect where the Heat struggled last season — is it Herro running the attack or Mitchell? For that matter, does it come down to offense-defense and therefore either/or with Herro and Mitchell at the point?
Kasparas Jakucionis vs. the G League: The conventional thinking during and after summer league was the need for more seasoning for the 19-year-old first-round pick.
And yet, if this is to be a Heat season of development — as also has been conventional thinking — is shuttling between Sioux Falls and South Florida the optimal approach with the No. 20 pick in June’s draft?
What was on display during summer league hints at an arctic, South Dakota winter. Stepping up in the preseason potentially could lead to a warmer embrace.
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Simone Fontecchio vs. the ghost of Duncan past: If viewed solely as a replacement shooter, the forward acquired from the Detroit Pistons in the salary dump of Duncan Robinson could face similar erratic playing time as the player he replaced.
But there also is the type of size and toughness there, as displayed during the ongoing EuroBasket, that could open eyes during the preseason with Fontecchio’s veteran grit and guile.
Dru Smith vs. the doubts: Two years ago, the shredded knee. Last season, the torn Achilles. This summer, signed at the cost of casting off Haywood Highsmith.
Once again, the 27-year-old point guard will be dealing with doubts. There would be no better or more fortuitous time to excise them than during camp and the preseason.
IN THE LANE
SIMILAR APPROACHES: As he discussed Micky Arison‘s entry into the Hall of Fame, Heat President Pat Riley opened a bit of a window this past week on why he has become less public in recent years. “I think that’s one of the things that endears a lot of people with Micky — he’s shy,” Riley said of the Heat owner. “I’ve gotten that way in the last four or five years. I all of a sudden get into a big crowd of people and I’m trying to find a way out, the side door, fast. It doesn’t get old, it’s just that you become more sensitive to the fact that when it comes to what we do and what’s real in this world, all of this adulation and all of these things that are good that come your way, they become uncomfortable after a while.”
ANOTHER WINDOW: Riley also opened a window into what previously had stood as his winning-or-misery mantra, and where he now, at 80, draws the line for both himself and his team. “The one thing I think I’ve learned, and we’ve learned over the years together, you can’t win every night in this league,” he said. “You can’t win championships every year. It’s the product you put out on the court and you hope that it is so competitive that you get that opportunity.” That said, Riley said it remains essential that a team is given every opportunity, “You never know if you’re going to be able to achieve that one moment, until you do.”
SOCIAL UNREST: As for his disinclination for a front-facing approach, Arison acknowledged ahead of his enshrinement that social media has added to such angst. “I have the unfortunate ability of reading social media, which is a horrible thing,” he said during an interview with The Dan Le Batard Show. “But having read, seeing a lot of the Twitter reaction to what we’ve not achieved in the past year or so is no fun.” There is a social-media history there, with Arison fined $500,000 by the NBA in 2011 for his Twitter posts amid that season’s lockout.
FAREWELL POST: It took a while after what was a surprising trade, but Haywood Highsmith took to Instagram for parting thoughts after being dealt by the Heat last month to the Brooklyn Nets. “Miami!!!!…… it’s been an awesome 4 years!” Highsmith posted. “Thank you to the Heat organization, my teammates, the coaching staff, and every fan who cheered me on — your support means the world and being a part of it all has been an unforgettable experience. You gave an undrafted kid from Baltimore a chance and I’m forever grateful for the journey, challenges, and growth I’ve experienced here. Miami will always have a special place in my heart. With that being said I’m excited for this new chapter with the Brooklyn Nets Organization.” Among the responses was former Heat teammate Duncan Robinson posting, “Proud of u lil bro,” and the Heat posting, “All love, H!”
NUMBER
Dec. 15. Date when Highsmith becomes trade-eligible for the Nets. Considering the Heat had to send out a 2032 second-round pick to move off Highsmith’s salary, it could be interesting to see if the Nets then can fetch capital for Highsmith that the Heat could not last month, when they moved early to get below a luxury tax not calculated until season’s end.
