The player who must improve the most for the Miami Heat next season
The Miami Heat are trying to improve the team in a big way this offseason. You would have to be living under a rock to not know they are trying to acquire a star via trade, most notable Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Though this is the main way that Miami is looking to improve there is always one way that is needed for the team to make a leap. This is everyone's favorite: Internal improvements.
Internal improvements are often overlooked by many fans, but improvement by retained players can make or break a season. This is especially true if the Heat have to gut their roster to complete a trade for someone like Antetokounmpo. This brings the question to our Miami Heat OnSI team, who do the Heat need to improve the most?
Austin Dobbins
"So, the thing with this question, is it depends on what happens. So, I am going to say the Heat manage to land Giannis while maintaining Kasparas Jakucionis (who is my answer in any situation where Kel'el Ware is not on the team). Miami will need a true two-way point guard on their roster and Jakučionis showed flashes of what he can be. If he can maintain a consistent shot from the perimeter while pairing that with the ability to finish down low, who knows what he is capable of. He is physical and athletic and meets the mold of the modern guard. The faster he develops in a build centered around Giannis and Bam, the better served the Miami Heat would be not only for now, but the future as well."
Ethan J Skolnick
"This is a tricky one, because it depends largely on who is still here. But let's assume Kel'el Ware goes to Milwaukee in a package for Giannis Antetokounmpo. And let's also assume that Pelle Larsson stays -- but, while he will likely improve, is reasonably close to his ceiling already as a connector, agitator and defender. Then it comes down to one of two players. It could either be Kasparas Jakucionis, the 20th pick last season who surprised to the upside as a shooter and defender, but needs to be given more opportunity as a playmaker, where his passing skills should shine. Or Nikola Jovic, who is just 22 and earned enough trust to get a four-year extension that kicks in now, but then had a disastrous season. Who is more likely to be here? That's a tough call, because Jakučionis (cheaper) is a better asset for Milwaukee than Jovic would seem to be. So, let's say Jakučionis goes, and the Heat include someone other than Jovic to make the money work. That leaves Jovic. Can he get his confidence back enough to become a consistent contributor? It starts there."
The Two players that could make the biggest difference
As for my thoughts, this can be a difficult question to answer. Like both panelist mentioned, we do not know if everyone will even be on the team next season so we will take that into account. When accounting for players that are most likely to be here, I think you could make an argument for 2 players. First, like Ethan pointed out Nikola Jovic could make a big difference for this team. If he returns to being a high end rotation player and playing with confidence that could make a massive impact. Whether the Heat make a trade or not they need depth and players with ball handling skills. Jovic could be a part of the solution for both of those problems.
The second player I think someone could make an argument for is Bam Adebayo. Now this is a completely different scenario than Jovic. Adebayo played at an elite level for a large portion of the season last year, but if he takes another small leap then the Heat could truly be dangerous. If Adebayo takes a leap and becomes more consistent that could be the difference in an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and being the team holding the Larry Obrien trophy if they do land Antetokounmpo.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as The player who must improve the most for the Miami Heat next season.
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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 10:00 AM.