No more Off Nights for Miami Heat guard

The Miami Heat defense is about to get a bit stingier.

After sitting the first three Miami Heat preseason games due to a calf strain, Davion Mitchell is set to return to action Sunday in Orlando against the Magic.

This will be Mitchell's first appearance since signing a two-year, $24 million contract to remain with the Heat this offseason. His healing is welcome, because the Heat are still missing Tyler Herro (ankle surgery) and Mitchell has a shot at heavy minutes, if not a starting spot, until Herro returns.

Mitchell, known as "Off Night" for giving opponents offensive off nights, improved his offense dramatically after being acquired by the Heat last February -- as part of the larger Jimmy Butler trade. While no one is expecting him to shoot 45% from three-point range again, he has tightened his form, and observers spoke positively of his potential to sustain accuracy this summer.

He also did a solid job for Miami probing the paint, and he fits into the faster pace that Erik Spoelstra and the players say they want to play.

Heat says Davion Mitchell is available to play after missing the first three preseason games with calf soreness.

Simone Fontecchio was limited.

Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro did not practice.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) October 10, 2025

The question is whether Mitchell will play. He seemed to have the inside track with Herro's injury, but Dru Smith (returning from Achilles' tendon surgery) beat him back to preseason participation, and Spoelstra has praised Smith frequently. The coach may lean to starting Smith and keeping Mitchell in the reserve attack dog role he will play once Herro is back -- and then slide Smith behind Mitchell.

Either way, the Heat need what Mitchell provides. Their intensity was lacking at times last season, but he gave them a jolt nightly, with better production than anticipated -- and they rewarded him in kind.

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