Nikola Jovic was one of the Miami Heat’s most disappointing players this season. (Mandatory Credit: Eric Espada/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Miami Heat may have won six more games than they did in 2024-25, but it still resulted in a play-in appearance for the fourth-straight year. This time, however, the Miami Heat lost to the Charlotte Hornets, snapping the Heat’s streak of six-straight postseason appearances.
Entering a critical summer, Miami must reevaluate its whole roster and have a lot of tough conversations. Who were the biggest disappointments this season?! Let’s examine!
Tyler Herro:
(Mandatory Credit: Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
Skinny: While it was unfair to expect Herro to completely replicate his career year in 2024-25, especially with Norman Powell in the fold, he didn’t reach expectations this season.
Herro played in a career-low 33 games (28 starts) due to myriad injuries. And when he was on the court, he never consistently found a rhythm alongside Norman Powell. His defense stayed poor, even though he was aggressive in the passing lanes, and his playmaking took a considerable dip in the Heat’s new offense bereft of ball-screens, where Herro thrived most as a passer.
Herro’s expiring will be worth $33 million. If the Heat can’t move him this summer, he must rehabilitate some of his value in 2026-27 (unless they plan on re-signing him), although the league no longer values his archetype: A one-way scoring guard who doesn’t offer much value elsewhere.
Dru Smith:
(Mandatory Credit: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Skinny: Smith, 28, returned to Miami on a three-year, non-guaranteed deal last August. Coming off his third season-ending knee surgery of his pro career, there weren’t many expectations for him entering the new year.
Yet, as someone who’s been fond of Smith when he’s been on the court over his career (even though I did not want him back), his defense, shooting and decision-making left plenty to be desired. His defense, while still very disruptive, wasn’t as impactful. Furthermore, he shot just 29.5 percent from 3-point range, where he took roughly 40 percent of his attempts. Lastly, his decision-making was oftentimes confusing.
He was poor on- and off-ball offensively, and played nearly 200 more minutes than Kasparas Jakucionis. While the latter wasn’t ready to begin the season, how Smith played as the season progressed didn’t quite justify that gap.
Nikola Jovic:
(Mandatory Credit: Nate Bilings, AP Photo)
Skinny: As we discussed in his player review, Jovic was the Heat’s most disappointing player, bar none.
Jovic couldn’t punish defenses from beyond the arc, where his efficiency fell off a cliff. Jovic shot just 26.9 percent from 3-point range despite being a 37.0 percent 3-point shooter over his first three seasons. From there, his confidence took a major hit. He didn’t let it affect his defense, but Jovic looked like a chicken with its head cut off offensively.
He didn’t rebound the ball particularly well (for his size); his slashing was poor, thus limiting his playmaking upside. All around, it was a poor season for the 22-year-old, who was fresh off a brand new four-year, $62.4 million extension he signed last summer.
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