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Are the Heat eternally play-in bound?

Originally posted on thePeachBasket | By Eric Labrador | Last updated Jan 26, 2026 9:54 PM ET

Are the Heat play-in bound? They have a similar record now as they did last season. A running joke is that Miami, Chicago and Atlanta will all meet again in the play-in tournament (as they do every year.) For the last three seasons, it is true, check the stats. Miami doesn’t show much promise compared to Atlanta and Chicago. The comment made by Bam Adebayo about the private team meeting could be good or bad.

Jovic’s development has stunted

Nikola Jovic received a 4 year – $60 million extension before the season. That decision appears similar to the Tyler Johnson contract where the guard/forward was overpaid by Miami. Jovic isn’t comfortable with the Heat’s game plan to have him in the power rotation. He says,

“We don’t run a lot of plays. So I’ve got to figure out how, as a five, do I space a floor and what do I do. Sometimes I feel like I’m lost on the court a little bit, like in spacing. Because I’m not sure where exactly to be.”

Tyler Herro needs to be traded or face facts

Herro didn’t get an extension before December. He has only played a handful of games this season because of injuries. Herro is injury prone and must either accept that he is better coming off the bench or the Heat need to trade him for assets.

Ira Winderman writes in the Sun-sentinel that Herro has another opportunity to get extended in July. He will make $31 million this season and $33 million next season (his last.) The Heat don’t have too many draft picks to throw in a trade, but they have players and picks that could make up a package.

Heat players mental makeup

Coach Spoelstra said after a game against the Thunder that the Heat, as a team, do not have the mental makeup yet to compete with elite teams. Specifically, he said it was the “mental toughness” to limit opponent runs. The Heaters start to commit turnovers, miss shots and play bad defense which leads to “big 14, 16 and 21-2 type runs” that fuel the opponent.

After the Portland game, Coach Spoelstra and the team had a private meeting. Bam Adebayo was specifically “called out” by Spoelstra. Bam commented to the press that the meeting was good to “clear the air.” Then he added that Coach Spoelstra needed to be ready to hear criticism towards him as well. The Heat played well against Phoenix and dominated offensive rebounding.

The Heaters play three-games in a row starting Wednesday. They have a day off on the 31st and finish playing Chicago in a three-game series. Weird huh? The trade deadline is on February 5th. They play Atlanta on the 3rd, so fans can only hope that the team grows in mental toughness. They will make the play-in tournament and that is not a bad thing. Remember 2023?

This article first appeared on thePeachBasket and was syndicated with permission.

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