Lackluster showing for Bam, other Heat players in loss vs Raptors

The Miami Heat once again had a lackluster showing dropping another game to the Toronto Raptors 91-112. This made the 2nd loss to the raptors in 8 days and in both games the Heat did not break 100 points. This loss keeps Miami in a Play-in position and 8th in the Eastern Conference. Much needs to change if the Heat want to get back to the energizing basketball that made the NBA world take notice at the start of the season.

Davion Mitchell – Grade: D

Davion Mitchel has been excellent for the Miami Heat this season, but this game was probably his worst of the season. Not only did Mitchel shoot poorly, 1/6 from the field, but he also did not have the high assists to turnover ratio that Miami has come to rely on. One of Mitchel’s turnovers was him just losing the ball on his own. It was also an uncharacteristic game on the defensive end. I felt his presence was not felt all night. It was easy to forget Mitchel was even on the court. The Heat need Mitchel to be at his best on defense and distributing the ball every night, and against the Raptors he was far from it. He finished with a stat line of 3 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 1 steal.

Bam Adebayo – Grade: D-

One thing is clear, Bam Adebayo needs to be better the Miami to have a chance to compete. Yes, he still is doing some of the little things that help the team, but they need him to be a superstar, and he has not been recently. Even those little things have slipped some, which is uncharacteristic for Adebayo. This team cannot afford Adebayo to be 4/11 from the field. He needs to find his rhythm, and he needs to find ways to get teammates involved. Adebayo finishing with 0 assists is something that should never happen. Adebayo is in a big slump and Miami desperately needs him to break out of it. The only thing saving him from an F grade is his rebounding. He has earned high expectations, and he is not meeting them. His final stat line was 9 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 2 steals.

Bam Adebayo on his recent slump

“It sucks but it’s apart of the NBA it’s a long season. Figure out how I can impact winning and do that instead of focusing on shots not falling. Shots will eventually start falling. Shots just not falling that’s really all it is. Figure out how I… pic.twitter.com/NiueaiQz7H
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 24, 2025

Jaime Jaquez Jr. – Grade B+

I debated not even including a good grade, but Jaime Jaquez Jr. deserves his flowers. He was excellent and by far was the Heat’s best player. The Heat started miserably but the energy flipped once Jaquez Jr. entered the game. He was a huge reason as to why the game was competitive in the first half. I loved his ability to take on contact and still find ways to finish and get to his spots. He was relentless in his attack, which can be shown by him taking 16 shots which was 2nd on the team only behind Norman Powell (17). Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra showed his appreciation for Jaquez Jr.’s performance by playing him a team high 36 minutes. The big issue for Jaquez Jr. in this game was his turnovers. He needs to find the balance between aggression and recklessness more often, then his game would really pop. Jaquez Jr. finished the game with 21 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 turnovers.

Jaime Jaquez Jr says Miami will get through this slump:

“We said what we needed to say — just gotta out there and do it…we got a great locker room, it’s just collectively we gotta come together and lift each other up…we’re going to get through this, I know we are…”

Everyone… pic.twitter.com/ctSQwwF1GR
— 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 (@WadexFlash) December 24, 2025