3 Biggest Miami Heat Training Camp Battles

He did in fact show up to training camp and earn it, leaving many curious to see the battles that come out of training camp in Boca in 3 weeks. So here's three Heat camp battles to keep an eye out for:

1. Kel'el Ware vs Nikola Jovic:

Two of Miami's brightest young pieces, in Ware and Jovic, have shown a strong ability to collaborate on the court with a surprising high level of chemistry offensively. Jovic's unselfish passing ability combined with Ware's lob opportunities off the roll created unique offense for certain lineups.

Yet when it comes to starting lineup discussions, only one can break away. Ware got the nod for 36 games last year as Miami heavily leaned into his front-court pairing with Bam Adebayo. The pros of this decision are locking Adebayo into his more comfortable position, while walling up the defense behind a potential back-court of Tyler Herro and Norman Powell.

Jovic started just 10 games this past season, but his active off-season and undoubted potential leaves many believing another leap is coming. Would the 6'11 play-making unit work best in a starting lineup without a true point guard?

Only time will tell. Or better yet, training camp will tell.

2. Jaime Jaquez Jr vs Pelle Larsson

If you want to see a real battle of two similar players trying to earn a single spot, this one would be at the top of the list. Larsson is coming off an impressive rookie season after being selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft, while Jaquez is looking to piece some things back together after a rocky sophomore season.

Both of these guys have shown flashes of a similar skill-set: off-ball cutting and impact, inside scoring success, and the need for three point shooting improvement to take the next real jump.

Will Larsson hit a second year wall similar to the one of Jaquez Jr? Will Jaquez find a way to tap into an individual scoring revival? Camp will answer a lot of questions for these two when discussing the regular rotation.

3. Dru Smith vs Kasparas Jakucionis

This potential battle consists of two guys on pretty different career paths. The undrafted fourth year man out of Missouri, Dru Smith, has been derailed with injuries over the start of his NBA career, with the latest being a torn left Achilles last December. On the other end of things, the Heat’s most recent first round pick out of Illinois, Kasparas Jakuconis, is looking to showcase a bit more than he did in Las Vegas Summer League.

The track record of Erik Spoelstra would point to one clear answer. It’s not breaking news that Coach Spoelstra has been a massive fan of Smith over the years, growing extremely fond of his defensive tenacity, game management, and overall gritty style. It's also no secret that he has never been in any rush to play a young rookie.

The truth is this: both these guys will most likely be on the outside looking in day 1 of the regular season. But that doesn't mean a name won't be called rather quickly. Training camp is a chance for these two guys to place themselves into the correct pecking order. Smith to prove the injury worries are in the past, and Jakucionis a chance to bounce back after Vegas.