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Guard-heavy? The Miami Heat won't be in Puerto Rico

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI
By Ethan J. Skolnick | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 1:34 PM ET

You can never have enough guards, apparently.

The Miami Heat have tilted toward their backcourt with their current roster construction, but that can't account for a rash of injuries. So as the Heat traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico on Friday to face the Orlando Magic in their preseason opener on Saturday, they did so without several of the guards expected to eventually be in the rotation -- and those who are supposed to fill in at the start of the season.

All five of the Heat’s injured players (Herro, Larsson, Rozier, Mitchell and Jakucionis) will not travel for Saturday’s preseason game vs. Magic in Puerto Rico.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) October 3, 2025

Tyler Herro's absence was expected; he's in line to miss about a month of the regular season. Davion Mitchell, who is likely replacing him as a season opening starter, was injured this week at training camp, as well as Pelle Larsson (a core rotation player), Terry Rozier (whose only road to minutes seems to be when Herro is out) and Kasparas Jakucionis (a rookie first round pick who has impressed with his intensity in camp).

None of those four injuries are considered serious -- though with the way the Heat typically reports timetables, one never knows. And of course, Dru Smith isn't back yet either, recovering from Achilles' tendon surgery, though he has been playing 5-on-5.

So who is actually available, other than Norman Powell, acquired from the Clippers this summer?

Primarily a G-league crew.

That could include Jahmir Young, Myron Gardner, and Trevor Keels; with Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo doing a lot of the ball-handling from the frontcourt.

Not exactly the ideal way to get the preseason rolling.

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This article first appeared on Miami Heat on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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