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The Miami Heat are struggling when one player sits

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI
By Ethan J. Skolnick | Last updated Mar 2, 2026 2:47 PM ET

The Miami Heat took some "big" risks prior to the 2025-26 season.

They signed former first-round pick Nikola Jovic to a four-year, $62.4 million extension though Jovic had not yet done more than flash potential for his first three seasons, with the hope that he could earn consistent minutes and fortify the frontcourt as a versatile playmaker and shooter.

And they didn't add a veteran big to supplement Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware, with only unproven forward Keshad Johnson and undrafted two-way center Vlad Goldin available to fill in for Adebayo, Ware and/or Jovic if any were absent -- or in the case of the young Ware and Jovic, ineffective.

That has come back to bite as the season has gone on, with the Heat seemingly not having an internal or external fix for it. Jovic has struggled all season, and now is battling injuries again that have taken him out of the mix entirely. Johnson has been used sparingly, other than his star turn in the All-Star Slam Dunk contest. Goldin hasn't gotten any action at all, still too raw and slow to contribute.

That's left just Adebayo and Ware and, for all the reasonable calls for them to play more together -- something Erik Spoelstra is starting to heed and which paid off in Sunday's win against Houston -- it has left the Heat coach without real options whenever Adebayo sits. He can't overplay Ware with Adebayo in part because he needs the second-year man as the stand-in whenever Adebayo rests, and must monitor the foul trouble while hoping Ware keeps the mistakes down.

And the Heat are not good when Adebayo rests.... whether Ware is out there or not.

Not good at all.

Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald documented the damage.

Over the last 15 games, the Heat has outscored opponents by 14.1 points per 100 possessions with Bam Adebayo on the court.

Without Adebayo on the court, opponents have outscored the Heat by 8.6 points per 100 possessions.

That's a 22.7 point swing.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) March 2, 2026

The Heat have a net rating of +14.1 when Adebayo has played the last 15 games, as the captain has turned his season around. But they are -8.6 when he doesn't. That's a remarkable difference.

So how does Spoelstra address it if the front office doesn't?

(And with the buyout deadline gone, it doesn't seem like it really can.)

Well, he can keep trying to strengthen the non-Adebayo lineups around Ware, but that's harder now that Norman Powell is out, so Tyler Herro is no longer coming off the bench. When Powell returns, maybe he takes that role.

Spoelstra can play Adebayo more minutes, but that's risky. He likes to keep the captain around 32-34, at least until the playoffs, to avoid wear. While the Heat aren't expected to make a long run, he needs to at least give the team that chance.

Or the Heat can give Jovic another shot whenever he's back; he did tend to play well with Ware, in past seasons.

But on the whole, this looks like something that will again need to be better addressed in the offseason.

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

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