Feb 13, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team T-Mac frontcourt Kel'el Ware (7) of the Miami Heat shoots against Team Vince frontcourt Carter Bryant (11) of the San Antonio Spurs during an NBA All Star Rising Stars game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Terrill/Pool Photo via Imagn Images Pool Photo-Imagn Images

Three Things the Miami Heat must Prioritize After the All-Star Break

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI | By Austin Dobbins | Last updated Feb 16, 2026 5:23 PM ET

The Miami Heat will return to action Friday February 20th against the Atlanta Hawks. The Heat currently sit as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 29-27 record. This puts them 3.5 games back of the Toronto Raptors and the 5th seed, and 4.5 games ahead of the Bulls and being out of the NBA-Play-In tournament all together.

The Heat are likely returning back from the break healthy with Tyler Herro being the only one listed as out currently. Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins, and Norman Powell were all dealing with injury before the break and should be good to go.

So, with 27 games to go, what must the Heat prioritize?

1. The Bam and Ware Frontcourt

Before the break the experiment was ran again, and it must continue. Bam Adebayo has long been looking for another anchor to Miami's frontcourt and Ware has the potential. They both can space the floor, are elite rim protectors, and Ware continues to showcase 1 of 1 capability. The two of them must continue to get more run together as the Heat continue to evaluate their future. Over the last three games the duo is a whopping +68 in only 42 minutes. So far this season the duo has a +3.4 net rating over 284 minutes.

Erik Spoelstra Is Leaning into What Heat Fans Want

2. Keep Kasparas Jakucionis in the Rotation

Before the break we saw the rookies potential. He had two twenty point performances made 6 threes in each contest, and showcased his capabilities as not only a facilitator but a defender. As good as Dru Smith, and Davion Mitchell have been for the Heat, Jakucionis has to get run, this season is about growth, and he can still bey a key contributor should the Heat make the playoffs.

3. Get Healthy and Learn Everything

The man above has lost all negotiation power in future contract talk, he has stunted the ability for Miami to have a consistent rotation, and when he returns, he should just come off the bench. Tyler Herro has gotten better every year, but availability has become a huge concern, and the Heat have dealt with their fair share of injuries. So down the stretch, it will be important for the Heat to be healthy, so they can see what works, who fits, and who is part of the MIami Heat's future. Herro, Jaquez, Powell, Ware, Wiggins, and many more, the roster is deep, it is talented, and Erik Spoelstra believes in the unit, but health and evaluation are key down the stretch.

Erik Spoelstra sends a message about the Heat when they get healthy after the break

“Offensively, I think when we get our guys back, I think we’re going to be a really dangerous offensive team. We can be fourth in the league in scoring with large parts of our rosters on the… pic.twitter.com/SUpUEDH4yj
— (@WadexFlash) February 13, 2026

The Heat are going to give it their all down the stretch, that's what they do, but these three things must be priorities as this season is about more than just making the playoffs.