3 Keys for Miami Heat in Atlanta: Hoisting Threes, Adebayo's Scoring, More

Back to backs in the preseason are never fun, which is the reason the Miami Heat got out in front of it by sitting a bulk of their primary starters on the front end of this back to back.

Tonight at 6pm EST, Miami gets right back after it in Atlanta, which is one of the two remaining preseason games for the Heat.

So, here are three keys for tonight specifically:

1. The regulars return, and now it's time to get them regular season ready.

heat — Mar 21, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) takes a shot over Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) and center Bam Adebayo (13) in the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

We should be seeing the opening night starting lineup tonight in Atlanta, just subtracting Nikola Jovic who is not with the team due to some lower back pain. But after sitting out a night ago, it seems as if Bam Adebayo, Norman Powell, and Andrew Wiggins should be back out there in the mix yet again. As previously mentioned, only two preseason games remain before the real season begins, which means it's time to really prioritize what the offensive system with the starters are going to look like. The balance of Powell and Wiggins on and off the ball, seeing how Davion Mitchell fits with those core guys, and most of all, time to get Adebayo back into his scoring mode. They can't have a remake of early last season where Adebayo struggled with his short jumper efficiency. It's time to work certain lineups and strategies, since I believe we've seen enough of a lot of the training camp guys.

2. No Jovic, no Jakucionis, no Herro: who picks up the play-making slack?

The Heat are going to be without a few of their better on-ball facilitators in this one, such as Tyler Herro who will be out for extended time, Nikola Jovic on a game by game basis, and Kasparas Jakucionis who exited the game less than 24 hours ago with a hip injury. So naturally, there's some question marks around who can pick up the play-making slack. Davion Mitchell is a big one as he returns to the starting lineup, especially coming off a season where he surprised many with his passing skill-set operating off primary actions. I'd expect Dru Smith to return to action in this one as well, which means he will be the back-up point guard in many ways. Yet it's important to mention, while Smith is a guy who can put guys in the right spots and play off the ball, it's not going to be heavily in his role to play "big time play-maker." So does a wing have to step up in that department? Are Adebayo's passing abilities needed even more? We shall find out later today.

3. Time to start hoisting three pointers.

The Miami Heat did something on the front end of the back to back that they haven't done all preseason: attempt 30 or more three pointers in the game. After shooting under 30 threes in the opening three games, the Heat got up 33 against the Magic a night ago. And guess what: that is still not enough. It's time to start focusing on regular season habits, and aiming for 40 triples a night would be a good start. One of the primary benefits of playing faster and increasing the pace of the game is to end up with more shot attempts overall, which should translate to more opportunities from beyond the arc. With Herro out for some time, Duncan Robinson no longer with the team, and Simone Fontecchio not being heavily available up to this point, it definitely feels abnormal to this specific rotation to chuck up a ton of threes. Powell is going to be a main sticking point for this, due to obvious reasons, but guys like Wiggins and Jovic are going to be looked toward to provide some pull on the perimeter. I'd make it a huge priority tonight to hit that three-point benchmark.