Three interesting storylines heading into Miami Heat training camp

Presumably, Miami Heat fans must have that tingle of electricity running through their veins like James Bond at the Baccarat table in Casino Royale (1953) because this is about as close as it gets to going all in.

Training camp should be around eight-ish weeks away, which is when things start getting serious with preseason right on its heels. That will be the start of the newest and highly anticipated chapter in Heat history. Buckle up.

Still, a few questions surround the team as they prepare to rebuild the empire in season 39. Let’s review some of the big ones.

How will the team maximize Giannis and preserve him?

Antetokounmpo has been plagued with multiple calf injuries in recent years and those are no joke. At age 31 and going into year 14, there will be times coach Erik Spoelstra may have to rein him in, so that he’s not going too hard in the regular season, risking an injury. Perhaps this could be done by lowering the minutes, particularly against basement teams so that he still gets credit for playing.

Calf injuries are dangerous on their own, but not handling one of those correctly could lead to catastrophic damage as well because of the connection to the Achilles tendon. No doubt, Spoelstra will play it close to the vest if he’s asked at media day about, yet it wouldn’t be a surprise if the pace of play slows down a bit, so there is less physical exertion.

Pelle Larsson’s growth:

Norman Powell didn’t end the season as strongly as he played early, which gave him his first All-Star bid, but now that he’s gone to Chicago, Miami’s fifth starter has to step up to give the team another dimension. Pelle Larsson is perfectly suited for it, and with all the attention Antetokounmpo attracts, the natural progression might be seamless.

Larsson started in 77.1 percent (54) of his games last season and that number should climb, too. The areas they’ll need him to grow quickly are in playmaking and 3-point shooting because he needs to be more than a release valve.

Keep in mind that team president, Pat Riley recently said the team needed another playmaker. If Larsson, who logged 20 games last season with at least five assists, doesn’t turn into that extra guy for the Heat, some outsiders, haters or whoever, might blame management for failing to get one, as if they didn’t finally bring in the white whale this summer.

Will Bam Adebayo carry the edge he’s had this summer into 2026-27?

Bam Adebayo has more bite than some thought, judging by the unfortunate physical altercation with Tyler Herro at Summer League. Still, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if he channeled more of that energy in defense of his teammates, if it ever came to it.

So what if he has to take a suspension when they’re going to play the Brooklyn Nets or the Sacramento Kings because he had to run off the bench to get in someone’s face for stepping out of line or shove somebody? To be clear, nobody wants him to turn into Draymond Green, but never forget how Udonis Haslem smashed Tyler Hansbrough because the cheap play wasn’t going to fly, and how no one on the Heat side was upset.

There is value with someone with the rank of captain having the reputation of a tough guy because that inspires confidence in the troops and it will make the bond tighter when someone will run through a wall for them for real.

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