Klay Thompson barely slept before his first Miami Heat training camp practice, and the reason was coach Erik Spoelstra’s kickoff speech the night before. Thompson said Spoelstra does not believe players are past their prime, and that he pushes players to get the most out of them.
The Heat needed a reset. After NBA Finals runs in 2023 and first-round exits in 2024 and 2025, Miami changed its offense last season without enough chemistry and missed the playoffs entirely. This offseason, Norman Powell, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware, four of last season’s top seven scorers, left the team. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bobby Portis and Thompson arrived.
Spoelstra, entering his 19th season with the Heat, said everyone understands the goal. He described the team’s shared commitment as hard to achieve but worth pursuing. He also said it is early, but the coaching staff, front office and players appear to be on the same page.
Former Heat star Chris Bosh predicted Spoelstra would have a plan and that Antetokounmpo would enjoy the faster style. Doc Rivers, who coached Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, called the pairing of Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo with Spoelstra a strong core. The fast-paced offense Miami adopted last season, which pushes the ball up the floor early in the shot clock, seems well suited to Antetokounmpo’s game.
The Eastern Conference is expected to be deep, and playoff spots will be hard to win. Spoelstra said the team wants to add to its players rather than reinvent them.
