Heat Notes: Powell, Ware, Spoelstra, DSJ, Adebayo
While Norman Powell has long been a productive scorer and excellent shooter, he has taken his game to new heights in recent years. In 2025/26, he’s averaging a career-high 23.7 points per game on .485/.416/.846 shooting for the Heat, making a strong bid for his first All-Star appearance.
As Fred Katz of The Athletic writes, Powell has become a “one-on-one savant.” As a result of the Heat’s offensive system, he’s on pace to more than double his previous career high in isolation plays, and he’s thriving in those situations. According to Katz, the Heat score 127.2 points per 100 possessions out of Powell’s isolations, which leads the NBA and would be the best mark single-season mark (for a player with at least 200 isos) since 2013, when Second Spectrum began tracking the stat.
Powell is earning roughly $20.5MM in the final year of his current contract and will remain eligible for a veteran extension up until June 30. If he doesn’t sign a new deal by that time, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Second-year big man Kel’el Ware sat out Tuesday’s game against Sacramento due to right hamstring tightness.It was Ware’s first missed game of the season, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required), who notes that the banged-up Heat have an open roster spot and can add a 15th man without surpassing the luxury tax threshold but have shown no urgency to do so.
- Within a mailbag for the Sun Sentinel (subscription required), Winderman writes that Heat personnel decisions are “now a village” and aren’t made solely by team president Pat Riley. Head coach Erik Spoelstra has “considerable input” in those decisions, Winderman adds.
- After being waived by the Wisconsin Herd, former NBA lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr. has been acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, tweets NBA insider Marc Stein. Smith, who hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2023/24 season, averaged just 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 23.4 minutes per game across 11 appearances for the Herd. While the veteran guard is regarded as an above-average defender, he continues to struggle as a shooter, posting a .354/.250/.667 line for Milwaukee’s NBAGL team.
- Heat star Bam Adebayo is the winner of the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for December, having been recognized for his off-court work, per a press release.
Southeast Notes: Ware, Herro, Suggs, Dennis
After criticizing Kel’el Ware following Thursday’s loss to Boston, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra walked back those comments in a session with reporters before tonight’s game, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald states in a subscriber-only piece. Ware spent the entire second half on the bench Thursday night, and Spoelstra said he needs to get back to stacking good days like he was seven or eight weeks ago. Spoelstra said on Saturday that he didn’t intend to single out Ware for the defeat.
“I didn’t articulate that in a great way and that wasn’t fair to Kel’el,” he said. “I wasn’t even frustrated. So what I’ll say is I’m fully invested in and invigorated about the opportunity to develop Kel’el, and our staff feels the same way. We’re going to give him everything we have to make sure he becomes the player that he wants to become, that we need him to become.”
Ware, who has been a frequent target of criticism from Spoelstra during his year-and-a-half with the team, didn’t seemed fazed by it when he talked to reporters tonight. He added that he hasn’t spoken to his coach about the latest comments.
“Just going out there and playing, basically,” Ware said in explaining how he responds to Spoelstra’s challenges. “In order to produce, I guess, like he said eight weeks ago, I would say I had more minutes eight weeks ago. But I guess to try to bring that same productivity to the minutes that I’m getting now.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Heat guard Tyler Herro is sitting out tonight’s game against Oklahoma City due to a rib contusion, but he’s not expected to miss much time, Chiang tweets. “This shouldn’t be long term,” Spoelstra told reporters. “We’ll just continue to treat him and see how he responds.”
- Jalen Suggs has already been ruled out for Sunday’s contest in London, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). It will be the seventh straight missed game for the Magic guard since he suffered an MCL contusion on his right knee early this month.
- RayJ Dennis, who signed a two-way contract with the Hawks at the end of December, posted huge numbers for College Park in the G League on Friday (Twitter link). The 24-year-old point guard finished with 46 points and 15 assists in a win over Delaware while shooting 16-of-24 from the field and sinking five three-pointers.
Heat Notes: Ware, Haslem, Midway Point, Grades, Powell, Wiggins
Heat second-year big man Kel’el Ware continues to frustrate the coaching staff with his inconsistency. Ware was benched during the second half of the team’s loss to Boston on Thursday and coach Erik Spoelstra called him out afterward, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.
“It was a tough matchup for him in Boston with all the coverages, and the same thing (Thursday),” Spoelstra said. “He just has to stay ready. Look, with Kel’el, I know that’s a lightning-rod topic. He needs to get back to where he was eight weeks ago, seven weeks ago, where I felt and everybody in the building felt, he was stacking days, good days. He’s stacking days in the wrong direction now. He’s just got to get back to that. Stack days, build those habits, make sure you’re ready and play the minutes that you’re playing to a point where it makes me want to play you more.”
Former Heat player Udonis Haslem said during a Prime Video appearance that Ware needs to make the coaches believe he’s deserving of more playing time.
“Put them in a position to earn their money,” Haslem said. “Put them in a position to say, ‘He is one of our top seven or right guys, he should be playing. Let me figure out ways to get him more minutes because he deserves those minutes.’ I understand your minutes are going to fluctuate based on the situation with coaches. There is nothing you can do about it. But what you can do is every time you step out on the basketball court, make sure your minutes are impactful, make sure your minutes are positive.”
Bam Adebayo made similar comments to the media.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- With a 21-20 record at the midway point of the season, Miami hasn’t played to its potential, in Spoelstra’s view. “We feel like we’re better than where we are, but we are what our record is right now. That’s the bottom line,” the Heat coach said, per Chiang. “If you play games on paper, I think right now we would have a better record. But that’s not the case right now.” Adebayo believes the players need to be more focused and mentally tougher. “We are better than what our record says,” he said. “But until all of us commit to doing role-player things, we’ll keep being in the middle of the pack, mediocre. Until guys get sick of that middle ground of being seventh, eighth and not want to really make a push to be fourth or third in the East, we’re going to stay right here.”
- The Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman hands out midseason grades and gives Norman Powell an A and Jaime Jaquez Jr. an A-. Disappointing offseason acquisition Simone Fontecchio was awarded a D-.
- In the same story, Winderman opines that the front office might be better off trading Powell and Andrew Wiggins, noting the team is wallowing in mediocrity and could help its long-term outlook by acquiring draft capital. Powell will be an unrestricted free agent after the season while Wiggins holds a player option worth over $30.1MM for next season.
Heat Notes: Morant, Adebayo, Mitchell, Ware, Spoelstra
Following up on a report stating that Miami appeals to Ja Morant and his camp as a potential trade destination, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald says the Heat reciprocate that interest — to some extent. According to Chiang, the Heat and Grizzlies have had preliminary conversations about Morant, but those discussions haven’t advanced at all and a source tells the Herald that it’s “premature” to view Miami as a serious suitor for the point guard.
As Chiang writes, the Grizzlies are reportedly seeking draft assets and young players in a Morant deal, but the Heat would likely resist the idea of offering any draft picks or any of their most promising youngsters for the two-time All-Star, who has battled a series of injuries in recent years.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald agrees with his colleague’s assessment, tweeting that any Heat offer for Morant is unlikely to feature real value due to the sense that a trade partner would be doing Memphis a favor by taking the $86MM owed to the 26-year-old over the two seasons after this one.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- After a stretch in which he scored fewer than 20 points in 11 straight games, Bam Adebayo had a big night in Tuesday’s win over Phoenix, racking up 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Still, pointing to the big man’s underwhelming numbers for the season, one veteran executive tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that Adebayo’s maximum-salary contract won’t be considered a positive deal going forward “if he keeps this trend on offense.” Adebayo continues to make a significant impact defensively but has averaged just 16.8 points and 2.7 assists per game on .456/.333/.758 shooting. “It’s amazing what’s happened with him,” an Eastern Conference scout told Jackson. “The new offensive system hasn’t done him any justice. His offense has regressed. He’s not getting as many assists. He’s better in a pick-and-roll-oriented system than what they’re running now.”
- Heat guard Davion Mitchell has started all 38 games he has played this season for the Heat, but he likely won’t be available on Thursday vs. Boston, having been listed as doubtful due to a left shoulder contusion. Mitchell said on Wednesday that his arm is already feeling better than when he injured it on Tuesday and that an MRI isn’t necessary for now, per Chiang. “If I’m still doing worse or the same tomorrow, then we probably would make that adjustment and get an MRI,” Mitchell said.
- The Heat have moved away from two-big lineups as of late, resulting in Kel’el Ware playing about 16 or 17 minutes in each of the past three games. However, that usage pattern isn’t necessarily permanent, according to head coach Erik Spoelstra. “There’ll be some games it’ll make sense to play both of them (together),” Spoelstra said of Adebayo and Ware, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “Many of our rotations are super important and (Tuesday) night it was a speed game, a smaller game. But Kel’el had a big impact on the game in his minutes. That’s what he has to focus on, and that’ll earn him more minutes. That’ll earn trust, not just with the head coach, but with the players.”
- When Mike Tomlin stepped down as the coach of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers this week, it made Spoelstra the longest-tenured head coach in any of the major U.S. sports leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, and MLS), Winderman writes for the Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Spoelstra’s enthusiasm about earning that distinction was muted, to put it mildly. “Some people could look at that as a badge of honor,” he said. “I look at that as really a disappointment to this profession, that there’s not more coaches that are given an opportunity to work through things.”
Ja Morant Talks About Trade Rumors, Reportedly Has Interest In Heat
Ja Morant addressed trade rumors at a press conference in Berlin ahead of Thursday’s game against Orlando, but his responses were brief and guarded, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Speculation that Morant might be moved before the February 5 deadline has been rampant since ESPN’s Shams Charania reported last Friday that Memphis is listening to offers.
Asked during his six-minute meeting with reporters how the rumors are affecting him, Morant said, “Live with it.”
Morant’s other statements were similarly short, Vardon adds. In response to a question about whether he expects to still be with the Grizzlies after the deadline passes, Morant responded, “I’m the only one you asked that question to?” Queried about the response of Memphis fans to a potential deal, he stated, “I think y’all should be more worried about my reaction and not other people. Like, my reaction is more important.”
The only real insight Morant offered was regarding his relationship with head coach Tuomas Iisalo, which was strained early in the season, resulting in a one-game suspension after a locker room confrontation. Morant indicated that things have improved, saying, “He cool. I don’t think we’ve had too many ups and downs. That’s just y’all on the outside looking in thinking that.”
The Grizzlies announced that Morant will miss Thursday’s game, which will be his sixth straight absence, due to a right calf contusion. It’s the third time he has been listed as “out” instead of “questionable” in the pregame injury report since Charania’s report surfaced. League sources told Vardon that Morant informed at least two teammates, along with other NBA players, that he doesn’t play to play for Memphis again.
However, Vardon points out that Morant is still classified as a “star” by the NBA, and the overseas contests, which are being televised by Prime Video, are considered “national TV” games. League rules require “star” players to participate in those games unless they can show proof of a legitimate injury, so Morant’s status for Sunday will be worth watching.
Morant plans to meet with members of his business team while in Europe to consider his future, according to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, who hears that the Heat have become an “attractive option” to his camp over the past few days.
Miami’s reputation for attention to detail and structure is appealing to Morant, Iko adds, and he has “a deep respect” for head coach Erik Spoelstra. The Heat coach also runs Team USA, and Morant hopes to represent his country at the 2028 Summer Olympics. Iko states that Morant views Miami’s veteran presence as another positive.
Morant has two years and $87MM left on his current contract after this season, and sources tell Iko that he’s hoping to receive a max extension by next summer. That’s unlikely to happen with the current situation in Memphis, but rebuilding his reputation in Miami could be the best path toward a huge payday.
Heat Notes: Ware, Larsson, Jovic, Adebayo, Jaquez
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra seems to deliver far more criticism than praise in his public comments about Kel’el Ware, but the second-year center is used to that, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscription required). Ware got the same feedback in college, first from Dana Altman at Oregon and then from Mike Woodson at Indiana, so he has learned how to handle it.
“I’ve been getting coached like that,” Ware said. “So it’s not much of a big thing to me, I would say. I just take it as they want to see me be better and be a better version of myself.”
Spoelstra challenged Ware over the summer to “improve his professionalism” and has stated that he needs to find ways to impact games rather than just collecting stats. Ware’s numbers have improved this season, but Spoelstra still wants more, especially on defense.
”He’s handling it appropriately when he’s being held accountable to winning things,” Spoelstra said. “It doesn’t have to be like a negative thing. We all want the same thing. We want a better result. We want growth faster. I want him to be like he’s 28, and that’s not realistic. And a little bit of impatience is good, as long as everybody handles it appropriately. But his play, obviously, is improving, and I want to feel that.”
There’s more from Miami:
- The Heat are getting closer to having a healthy roster, as Pelle Larsson and Nikola Jovic are both listed as probable for Friday’s game at Atlanta, Chiang adds. Larsson has missed the past five games with a sprained left ankle, and Jovic has sat out the last four with a right elbow contusion/laceration.
- Bam Adebayo has been downgraded to doubtful for the contest due to lower back soreness, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). That could help explain Adebayo’s recent slump, as he’s averaging just 11.8 points over his last four games while shooting 37.5% from the field.
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. is scoring consistently again after his production stagnated for a while in late November and early December, Winderman notes in a full story (subscription required). Jaquez delivered 23 and 21 points off the bench in his last two outings. “I think it’s just playing confident, understanding now it’s my third year, there’s going to be ups and downs and just got to continue to play confident, play with the same tenacity of whether you’re playing well, playing not so well,” he said. “So that’s just really my mentality.”
Kerr, Spoelstra, Lue Top List Of NBA’s Highest-Paid Coaches
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is the NBA’s highest-paid head coach, with an average annual value of $17.5MM on his current contract, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. Erik Spoelstra of the Heat and Tyronn Lue of the Clippers round out the top three at $15MM per year, Badenhausen adds.
While Kerr is the highest earner among head coaches in the short term, his deal with Golden State expires at the end of the 2025/26 season, whereas Spoelstra (eight years) and Lue (five years) signed longer-term extensions in 2024, so they’re assured of far more overall guaranteed money.
After that top three, there are several coaches in the range of $11MM annually, per Badenhausen: Doc Rivers of the Bucks, Ime Udoka of the Rockets, Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics, and Rick Carlisle of the Pacers.
The Knicks‘ Mike Brown is the only other coach with an average annual value of at least $10MM, with Mavericks coach Jason Kidd coming in at $9.5MM per year and Lakers coach JJ Redick at $9MM annually.
Interestingly, while Spoelstra, Kerr, and Lue are three of the NBA’s four longest-tenured head coaches, the other member of that group – Billy Donovan of the Bulls, the league’s third longest-tenured coach – doesn’t crack the list of top 10 salaries shared by Badenhausen.
Details on the other 20 NBA head coaches’ contracts aren’t included in Badenhausen’s report, but he notes that the lower end of coaching salaries is approximately $4MM per year. Presumably, that figure applies only to coaches who have the title permanently, rather than assistants who have received in-season promotions and are serving as interim replacements, such as James Borrego in New Orleans or Tiago Splitter in Portland.
For what it’s worth, the NBA’s estimated average salary for players in 2025/26 is $13.87MM, so just three of 30 head coaches are earning more than an average player in the league.
Heat Notes: Up-Tempo Style, Rozier, Ware
The Heat got off to a strong start this season behind an innovative up-tempo offense that de-emphasizes screens and pick-and-rolls, but the rest of the league is starting to adjust, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscription required). The team suffered its third straight loss Saturday against Sacramento, and coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledged the need to fix some things ahead of Tuesday’s NBA Cup elimination game with Orlando.
“It was not one of our finer games, but we’ll regroup,” Spoelstra said. “I want our guys to get as much rest as possible. We have a practice day (Monday), which is good. I think we do need to get back in the gym and just fine-tune some things and get ready for Tuesday.”
Spoelstra revamped the team’s style of play over the summer, adopting a frenetic attack after ranking near the bottom of the NBA in pace over the last six seasons. They’re still playing at the league’s fastest pace at 105.4 possessions per 48 minutes, according to Chiang, but opponents are finding ways to slow them down. He notes that five of the team’s last seven games have been among the slowest paced of the season.
“We knew this was going to happen,” Norman Powell said. “We kind of surprised everybody with the pace, and now they’re ready for it.”
There’s more from Miami:
- CJ Moore and Fred Katz of The Athletic explore the origins of Spoelstra’s new tactics in a lengthy feature story. Spoelstra was ready to make changes after the Heat were overwhelmed by Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs. He met with players and coaches during the offseason and hired a consultant, player development trainer Noah LaRoche, who helped convince the Grizzlies to adopt a similar strategy when he worked for them last year. LaRoche is a strong believer in a “constraints-led approach,” which emphasizes cutting and quick decisions instead of set plays. “It was definitely an adjustment, but I think it’s an adjustment everybody embraced,” Jaime Jaquez Jr. said. “When you have a lot of open space, you don’t really need screens.”
- Terry Rozier will be arraigned later today at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks of ESPN examine how Rozier’s situation affects the Heat’s roster and what recourse they may have regarding last season’s trade that sent a 2027 lottery-protected first-round pick to Charlotte in exchange for Rozier. Sources tell the authors that it’s not clear what would happen if Miami tries to include Rozier’s expiring $26.6MM contract in a trade for salary-matching purposes.
- Kel’el Ware has seen his playing time cut recently because his rim protection has been poor and his effort level has been “less than complete,” according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (subscription required).
Daigneault, Bickerstaff Named Coaches Of The Month
Mark Daigneault of the Thunder and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons have been named the NBA’s Coaches of the Month for games played in October and November, the league announced in a press release (Twitter links).
Daigneault won the award for the Western Conference, while Bickerstaff claimed the honor in the East.
After Oklahoma City held the best record in the NBA in 2024/25 at 68-14, Daigneault led the defending champions to a 20-1 record over the first month-plus of the season — unsurprisingly, that is once again the top record in the league.
Bickerstaff led the upstart Pistons to a 16-4 record during October and November, the top mark in the East and only trailing the Thunder for the best record in the NBA.
According to the league, David Adelman (Nuggets), Mitch Johnson (Spurs), Jordan Ott (Suns) and Ime Udoka (Rockets) were the other nominees in the West, while Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers), Mike Brown (Knicks), Jamahl Mosley (Magic), Darko Rajakovic (Raptors), Quin Snyder (Hawks) and Erik Spoelstra (Heat) were nominated in the East.
Heat Notes: Powell, Herro, Starters, Rotation, Spoelstra
Veteran wing Norman Powell almost immediately felt at home with the Heat after being acquired in an offseason trade, writes Mirin Fader of The Athletic. The 32-year-old is having a career year in his first season with Miami, averaging 24.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals on .494/.441/.884 shooting through 15 games (30.4 minutes per contest).
“I don’t mean to say anything in the wrong way, but this is like the purest form of basketball that I’ve played in a long time where you got no schemes of like, we’re trying to get this player going every single time down,” Powell said. “We’re playing in the flow, we’re playing for each other, we’re playing basketball the right way, we’re competing on both sides of the floor.”
Heat coaches and players admire that Powell continues to push himself to get better in his 11th NBA season, Fader adds.
“He has an open mind,” says Wayne Ellington, a Heat assistant coach and former NBA player. “He wants to learn and continue to grow even though he had a great experience already. … He always listens and is super coachable.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Tyler Herro shined once again on Wednesday after a stellar season debut on Monday, observes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The 25-year-old guard finished with 29 points (on 9-of-15 shooting), seven assists and five rebounds in 32 minutes in the win over Milwaukee. “I’m just trying to play off the catch,” he said. “I did that last year as well, and then that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m just trying to play off the catch and trying to create advantages in transition where I can get downhill or get to my spot before the defense gets set. And then in the half court, I’m just trying to make the right play. I feel like as I get my legs and my feet under me, I’m going to be able to play-make more and get into the paint more. I still have to strengthen my foot and feel fully comfortable jumping off my foot and exploding off my foot. It’s going to be a process for a couple weeks until I can fully feel comfortable.”
- With a fully healthy roster on Wednesday, head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested the starting lineup might be matchup-based going forward, with the rotation remaining fluid as well, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Winderman notes, second-year center Kel’el Ware was moved to the second unit after starting nine of the past 10 games, while forward Nikola Jovic wasn’t part of the 10-man rotation in his first game back from a right hip injury. “None of it will be in cement and I don’t feel pressure to make it cement, whether it’s the starting lineup or whether it’s the rotation once we get into the bench,” Spoelstra said. “I’ve said it since the first day of training camp, we feel that our depth is one of our best strengths and we want to weaponize that.”
- Wednesday’s win was the 800th of Spoelstra’s carer, making him the 17th coach in league history to reach that threshold, Winderman relays in another story. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, because I wasn’t aware of it,” Spoelstra said after the team’s sixth straight win. “But yeah, I guess it’s fitting that it comes on the eve of Thanksgiving. Like, I just feel incredible gratitude for this organization and all of these years, where the years are going by so fast. I’m having a hell of a time. I love what I do, I love coaching, I love this profession, I love working for this organization, I love working for, and with, amazing players and staff, like we have — too many to count over the years.”