Two months is enough time to get a sense of where the season is headed, which players are breaking out and which players might be headed for a letdown. Things can certainly turn around (just ask last season’s Dallas Mavericks) but, yeah, we mostly get it.
It’s the holidays so you may not have much time in between buying last-minute gifts, travel and a general sense of December-itis, so I’ll keep things simple for you.
Here’s a look at how every Miami Heat player is performing this season, summarized neatly in three words.
Bam Adebayo: Missing from offense
Adebayo’s scoring averages are the lowest since he became a full-time starter in 2019. His 45.3% field goal percentage is the lowest of his career. Adebayo seems to be having a hard time finding his place in Miami’s overhauled offense that prioritizes 3s and shots at the rim over mid-range jumpers. Unless he finds a way to get to the basket more or become a more efficient 3-point shooter, Adebayo will have a hard time getting back to 20 points per game.
Alec Burks: Useful for emergencies
Burks has played sparingly this season, seeing action in only 12 of Miami’s 26 games. The Heat are 7-5 in those games, including 4-0 when he’s scored seven or more points.
Jimmy Butler: Center of attention
Butler has always had a way of attracting headlines, and now he’s in the middle of the NBA’s hottest trade rumors after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the Heat are listening to offers for their star player. Butler, who is aiming to sign a big contract this offseason, is averaging 18.5 points on 55.2% shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
Josh Cristopher: G League favorite
Cristopher is on a two-way contract and has yet to see a minute of NBA action. He averaged 31 points in three games during the G League’s Winter Showcase in Orlando last week, where the Sioux Falls Skyforce finished as runners-up to the Knicks’ G League affiliate.
Tyler Herro: All-Star bound
After overhauling his shot chart with a focus on efficiency, Herro is posting a career-high 24.2 points per game to go along with 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He’s shooting 40.6% on 10 3-point attempts per game, ranking among the league’s elite from beyond the arc.
Haywood Highsmith: Doing his job
Highsmith's box score numbers won’t jump off the page, but he’s doing what he needs to do. Namely, guard the opponent’s top scorer and make open 3s. Check on both counts, as Highsmith is second among rotation players in Defensive Box Score Plus Minus and making 42.3% of his 3-point attempts.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Experiencing a sophomore slump
After a breakout rookie season that led many to claim Jaquez as the steal of the 2023 draft, the second-year forward has not lived up to expectations. His stats are down across the board, including averaging just 8.6 points on 41.4% shooting (11.9 points on 49% as a rookie). The Heat have been out-scored by a team-worst 60 points in Jaquez’s minutes this season.
Keshad Johnson: Game is over
When Johnson checks in, you know the game is already over. In his two appearances this season, the Heat either lost by 19 (Dec. 2 in Boston) or won by 41 (Dec. 4 vs Lakers).
Nikola Jovic: In and out
Jovic opened the season as Miami’s starting power forward, was moved to the bench after nine games, did not play in eight-straight games, and then recently reclaimed a spot in the rotation for the last two games. He even returned to the starting lineup in Saturday’s loss in Orlando, although that’s not expected to be a long-term lineup decision.
Pelle Larsson: Best Heat youngster
It’s wild, but you could argue Miami’s second-round pick in June’s draft has been better than Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic and Kel’el Ware so far this season. Some of that might be due to lower expectations, but he’s leading that pack in total plus-minus.
Kevin Love: For personal reasons
Love missed the first eight games of the season and then Saturday’s game in Orlando because of personal reasons before returning for Monday night’s game against the Nets. Hope everything is OK.
Josh Richardson: Not 2018 anymore
Richardson burst onto the NBA scene as a second-round pick in 2015 but since leaving Miami in 2019, he’s been a journeyman. He’s played in just eight games this season as he’s been dealing with a nagging heel injury and fell behind Larsson and Dru Smith on the depth chart.
Duncan Robinson: A starter again
Many Heat fans pined for Duncan Robinson to return to the starting lineup this season, but what they might not have expected is Robinson starting alongside Herro, instead of in his place. That backcourt pairing has worked, as they are out-scoring opponents by 14.8 points per 100 possessions in the time Robinson and Herro share the floor.
Terry Rozier: Trade deadline mistake
In his first full season since getting traded to Miami in January, Rozier has been a disappointment. He's averaging just 12 points on 40% shooting – hardly worth the first-round pick Miami gave up for him before last season’s trade deadline.
Dru Smith: Derrick White-lite
Teams are always looking for connector-type players who tie lineups together, and Dru Smith has been exactly that for this season’s Heat. Smith grades out as one of the team’s elite defenders, providing resistance at the point of attack that Miami’s other guards can’t. He’s also making 53% of his 3-pointers. That will come down, but if he can settle around 36-40%, then the Heat will be vindicated for keeping Smith around.
Kel’el Ware: Waiting for a chance
The 15th pick in June’s draft has played in just 11 games for an average of 7.5 minutes per appearance, but everything points to him getting more playing time as the season goes on. The Heat traded away Thomas Bryant and Love has been a nightly question mark. As Ware takes to coaching behind the scenes, he’ll earn more playing time on game days.
