Searching for the Heat: Will Miami Face Another Winless Preseason?
The Miami Heat’s start to the preseason has been nothing but frustrating. With the 2025 preseason about to end, the Miami Heat are sitting at 0-5 with one game left to play against the Memphis Grizzlies. One of the key factors as to why the Miami Heat can't seem to win has to be that they are without their all-star point guard, Tyler Herro. The absence of Tyler Herro due to injury has had a major impact on the team's rhythm and spacing. Without his perimeter shooting and ability to create shots, Miami has struggled to find consistency from the outside.
In his place, 21-year-old Kel’el Ware has stepped up, showing confidence and growth on both ends of the floor. His chemistry with Bam Adebayo has given the team a strong inside presence, but even with their dual efforts, the Heat still lack the perimeter firepower needed to compete at the highest level. Ware’s energy and interior dominance have kept Miami in competitive stretches, but the lack of veteran leadership on the floor has been evident. Until the Heat regain their rhythm back and find scoring options from the perimeter, their struggles are likely to continue to bleed into the regular season.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra has spent much of the preseason experimenting with different rotations and lineups in hopes of finding the right balance of offense and defense. With Tyler Herro out, Spoelstra has relied heavily on players like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic to fill major roles. With already being favored for being one of the best young cores in the NBA today, the young stars still need time to develop throughout the season. As the Heat prepare to face the Grizzlies, Spoelstra’s focus should be on improving spacing and movement on offense, allowing Miami's shooters to get open looks and take the shots that the team has been missing from Herro. Defensively, the Heat must tighten their rotations and be ready to handle Memphis’ physicality and rebounding. This final preseason game might be the last chance to build a lineup ready for the long 82-game season, establish trust within the lineup, and create some positive momentum for the franchise’s future.
