A six-pack of Heat notes on a Tuesday:
▪ In sports, nothing is easier to dismiss than preseason records. So Miami’s 0-5 mark this preseason shouldn’t necessarily be cause for panic.
Nevertheless, we wondered what happens to teams that have dismal preseason records.
The results, during the past decade, aren’t awful but they aren’t particularly encouraging, either.
While there are exceptions, the majority of teams that are winless — or win only once — in preseason fail to make the playoffs. The Heat has gone winless in preseason only once before; that 0-7 preseason in October 2007 was followed by a 15-67 regular season.
With one preseason game remaining at home against Memphis on Friday, the 0-5 Heat will finish either 1-5 or 0-6 in preseason.
During the past 10 seasons, 12 teams have lost at least five preseason games and won no more than one.
Just four of those 12 teams made the playoffs: the 2022-2023 Bucks (0-5 followed by 58-24); the 2022-23 Lakers (1-5, followed by 43-39 and a Western Conference finals appearance as a seventh seed); the 2015-16 Cavaliers (1-6; 57-25) and the 2015-16 Mavericks (0-7; 42-40).
If you also include the four teams that went 0-4 in preseason during the past 10 years, then the final numbers would be this: Six of the 16 teams that went winless — or went 1-5 or worse — in preseason ended up making the playoffs, including last year’s Cavaliers, who went 0-4 but then finished first in the East (at 64-18) before losing in the second round of the playoffs.
But most of the 10 bad preseason teams that didn’t make the playoffs were very bad in the regular season; nine of the 10 won 35 games or fewer, and five didn’t even win 30.
There’s an asterisk with the Heat’s record, because Miami has been without leading scorer Tyler Herro, who will miss the start of the regular season after ankle surgery. Several other players — including Nikola Jovic and Davion Mitchell — have missed time in preseason.
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) reacts from the sidelines during the first half of an NBA preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Kaseya Center on Monday, October 6, 2025, in Miami, Fla. D.A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com
What’s a bit worrisome is the continued offensive struggles. Despite making an effort to play faster, the Heat is averaging just 108 points in preseason (27th in the league) and shooting 41.1% (26th) and 30.1% on threes (27th overall).
“I think we’re trying to figure it out, trying to get the things together in how we want to play the identity of the team offensively, defensively,” guard Norman Powell said after Monday’s 119-118 overtime loss in Atlanta, a game in which the Heat played starters but the Hawks did not.
“We’re learning the rotation stuff, still. We haven’t had a set lineup.We’re just trying to learn the spacing, the cuts, the reads offensively.”
▪ Bam Adebayo’s right knee contusion, sustained in the third quarter against Atlanta, isn’t considered serious. The Heat determined an MRI was not needed.
“He just landed awkwardly, but he says he feels fine,” Erik Spoelstra said.
▪ The fact that no NBA general manager gave Adebayo a single vote in four defensive categories, in the league’s annual preseason GM poll, remains stunning. (GMs cannot vote for players on their own team.)
Regarding him making the NBA’s All Defense Team last season (in voting by media), Adebayo told WQAM’s Brendan Tobin: “When it comes to defense, we’ve had a top 10 defense the last six years.
“Me being on and off the court defensively, you see how numbers spike. what’s the criteria at this point? Do y’all just get tired of voting for me at this point?”
▪ Per Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Heat structured Jovic’s four-year, $62.4 million contract extension in a way to increase cap flexibility in 2007 and 2028. Here are Jovic’s salaries when the extension kicks in:
2026-27: $16.2M 2027-28: $14.9M 2028-29: $15.1M 2029-30: $16.2M
Jovic will make $4.5 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract.
Spoelstra, on what he would like to see from Jovic offensively, besides his playmaking and pushing in transition:
“I like when he’s putting his head down and impacting the paint with aggressiveness. Good things happen. He’s a very good three-point shooter when it’s coming off someone else’s paint touches. We don’t necessarily need step back threes to generate other stuff.”
Jovic has characterized his lower-back issue as nothing serious. He has missed the past two games.
▪ New Heat forward Precious Achiuwa has averaged a strong 10.2 rebounds per 36 minutes in his career and ranked 37th in the league in that category last season, at 9.8.
That gave the Heat three players who were in the top 37 in that category last season, joining Kel’el Ware (17th at 12.0) and Bam Adebayo (32nd at 10.1).
▪ Pelle Larsson, who impressed ewith his performance for Sweden in Eurobasket last month, said he arrived at training camp as a smarter player than when he ended his rookie season. But he hasn’t been able to solve his fouling problem.
He committed five fouls in 21 minutes against Orlando on Sunday, then had two more in 15 minutes on Monday.
“From reps comes more knowledge, and I know where to pick my battles a little more, especially defensively, when to not be as aggressive,” he said. “I averaged way too many fouls last year. Trying to be not less aggressive but aggressive in the right moments.”
Larsson shot 33.7% on threes last season (32 for 95) and said he envisions himself shooting in the mid-to-high 30s on three pointers. He’s 3 for 11 on threes in preseason.
Schedule note
The Heat on Wednesday will hold its annual Red, White & Pink Game at 6:30 p.m. at Kaseya Center. The annual open intrasquad scrimmage benefits cancer care and research. Tickets are $10 for the event, and parking is $5.
Miami then concludes its preseason schedule at home against Memphis at 8 p.m. Friday before opening the regular season on Oct. 22 at Orlando.