Since making the NBA Finals in 2023, the Miami Heat have suffered back-to-back first-round exits and barely made the playoffs as the 8th seed both times. Earlier this offseason, the Heat acquired veteran guard Norman Powell to bolster their 2025-26 campaign. Powell is coming off a career year where he averaged 21.8 points per game and probably should have been an All-Star.
However, according to former Heat player Mario Chalmers, Miami’s biggest need is really a true point guard. That’s because, based on Rio’s experience, the franchise has found the most success in years when the team had a true floor general.
“I’ve always said this about Miami. Miami’s at its best when they have a true point guard. I think that’s kind of what they’re missing right now. Tyler Herro can’t play the point, but he’s a better scorer, so you need him to score. Bam’s your defensive anchor that can score. Andrew Wiggins is a scorer. I like Davion Mitchell. I think he’s a perfect hard-nosed defender and person that can run the team. So I think they have a better chance with him at the rim,” said Chalmers.
Herro needs to focus on scoring
Although point guards have never starred in Miami, the Heat’s best teams almost always featured one true floor general. The 2006 title team had Jason Williams and Gary Payton. The 2011 Heatles had Chalmers himself and Mike Bibby, while the back-to-back champion team in 2012 and 2013 had Norris Cole. Goran Dragic was on the 2020 team that made the Finals, while the 2023 squad had Kyle Lowry.
Since Lowry left, the Heat have made former Sixth Man of the Year winner Tyler Herro their primary point guard. However, Herro was known for his shooting and scoring ability when he entered the league, and has been at his best when he is focused on doing what he does best, which is piling up points.
Last season, Tyler averaged a career-high 5.5 assists per game aside from scoring 23.9 points per contest, which was also a personal best for the former Kentucky Wildcat. However, Chalmers says his natural position is shooting guard, and Herro is better off as a scorer for the team.
The current Heat team is still a piece or two away
For now, the Heat will have to make do with Herro and Mitchell as most of the top free agents have already found homes. But it’s no knock on both, as Miami ranked in the middle of the pack in assists last season despite not having that true point guard. Overall, however, Chalmers thinks that the current Heat team is a couple of pieces away from becoming a true contender.
“I still think they’re one or two pieces away. I think they need another scorer and maybe a more dominant big man who can play alongside Bam. Maybe Kel’el Ware has a big season this year because I do like him. I think he’s going to be special. It’s a learning process, but I think they’re right there at the door, just a couple of pieces away,” Rio explained.
It’s unclear if Mario already factored in the arrival of Norm when he talked about scoring. Because with Powell, Herro, and Wiggins, that’s easily 60 points on a good night. However, he’s right about adding another big man to help out Bam, as the Heat were in the bottom 10 in rebounding last season. That, plus the point guard that Chalmers said, should get Miami back in the thick of things.