Erik Spoelstra at Miami Heat media day: 'Embracing the unknown'

Spoelstra addressed a number of topics related to the somewhat reshaped roster.

• After being critical of Kel'el Ware's professionalism, Spoelstra said he "enjoys coaching" the center, and "he's positioning himself for an important role... and he will have to prove it."

• When asked about what he wants to see from captain Bam Adebayo, Spoelstra focused on continued growth in leadership. "It takes great vulnerability to be able to impact a locker room of a lot of players that are impressionable."

• Spoelstra spoke of the decision for Tyler Herro to have surgery: "It was something that was nagging, we thought we might be able to help it with treatment. But we couldn't. So that was the final decision."
  
  "He's going to be back sooner than later."

• Spoelstra met with Powell in Las Vegas, and while he didn't have a specific message for the veteran scorer, he was impressed immediately by Powell's approach. Powell won a championship with Kyle Lowry in Toronto, and when Lowry was with the Heat, Lowry raved about Powell.

• The coach expressed confidence that Andrew Wiggins will perform more consistently now that Wiggins is more comfortable.

Overall, there were no bold claims from Spoelstra, such as in 2023 when he said the Heat were "one of those teams." It seems to be a growth agenda, as things get started in training camp in Boca Raton this week.

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