The Heat recently saw the return of Kasparas Jakucionis and Pelle Larsson from injury, and there appears to be more good news on the horizon, writes Anthony Chiang for the Miami Herald.
Chiang writes that Davion Mitchell, who missed part of training camp with calf soreness and has yet to suit up for preseason, is expected to make his season debut at Sunday’s preseason game against the Magic.
The 27-year-old point guard was not overly concerned about the injury.
“It was just a calf strain,” he said. “I kind of felt something in my calf. They kind of have been cautious of it because obviously the calf is a big part, especially with the injuries [around the NBA] that we had last year and things like that. So they kind of just wanted to be cautious and make sure I’m ready 100 percent.”
With Tyler Herro likely to miss the first month of the season as he recovers from left ankle surgery, Mitchell is expected to be vying for the role of day-one starter for the Heat. After last season ended with him playing some of the best basketball of his career, he expressed frustration with being slowed down by the injury.
“Especially with the new offense we got, you kind of want to get that chemistry together to play faster,” he said. “So I kind of got a little step behind not going through the actual games with them. But I’ve been doing it in practice, so I feel good about it.”
Chiang also notes that Simone Fontecchio is participating in practice, but is still limited due to left lower leg tightness. Herro and Terry Rozier both remain out without firm return dates.
We have more news from the Heat:
- After Kel’el Ware‘s strong second preseason game, head coach Erik Spoelstra expressed that he was not moved by the big numbers and was instead interested in seeing a positive impact on the game. Ware didn’t view those comments as discouraging, but rather viewed them as an opportunity, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (subscriber link). “I always take anything Spo says to me as motivation,” Ware said. “I take it and I try to impact it in my game and I try to play as hard as I can.” Ware responded with 29 points and 12 rebounds, but most importantly, helped the Heat outscore the Spurs by 10 when he was on the court. It was a big performance, and his coach noticed. “He put a lot of it together,” Spoelstra said. “His pick-and-roll coverages were really good, protecting the basket. He was closing out when he needed to. He rebounded the ball very well. And he was playing with force.” While Ware has a lot of skill, playing with force is a clear point of emphasis for Spoelstra. “My favorite play was when he had an opportunity to shoot a three at the top of the key and he just drove it so hard,” Spoelstra said.
- Also turning in an impressive performance on Wednesday night was 2025 first-round pick Jakucionis, who scored eight points and handed out 10 assists in his preseason debut after missing the first two games with a sprained wrist. It was a strong start, writes Chiang. Spoelstra noted that there was already a budding chemistry between the rookie point guard and second-year big man, saying, “You can see a natural connection between him and Kel’el.” Jakucionis, for his part, knows there’s still a lot of work to do, especially in terms of scoring efficiency. “I’m just trying to be consistent, stay the same,” he said. “Discipline, and stay the same mind. Don’t go too high when I’m doing good and don’t go too low when I’m doing not that good. So I’m just trying to stay consistent, stay the same way, and just improving every day to try to get 1 percent better.“
- Ware and Jakucionas were not the only recent Heat first-round picks to show out on Wednesday, Chiang writes in a separate article. Jaime Jaquez Jr., coming off a slightly disappointing sophomore season, scored 19 points on eight shots in 28 minutes. He impressed Spoelstra, who, characteristically, still wants to see more from the young forward. “He’s such a downhill force that he’s going to attract help-side defenders,” Spoelstra said. “So naturally, he has to evolve and make enough plays to keep the defense honest because we need him to be aggressive.”
- Trevor Keels was recently waived in order for Miami to sign Gabe Madsen. Both players are expected to end up with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Winderman writes (subscriber link). Spoelstra spoke on the two players, both of whom showed enough for the Heat coach to take notice. “We want to continue to develop him, for sure,” Spoelstra said of Keels. “He showed a lot of improvement over the last few weeks. He’s gotten in better shape. He’s committed to our defensive system. And I told him this is just the beginning.” As for Madsen, Spoelstra saw some of the lauded Heat Culture in the young guard. “He showed a level of grit, a competitive toughness that we like,” Spoelstra said. “And he’s also skilled. He knows how to play without the ball and shoot the ball, or drive off those catches. So we’re encouraged by that.”