3 things to watch when the Charlotte Hornets head south to take on the Miami Heat

If it weren't for an ill-fated closing stretch against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, the Charlotte Hornets would be 3-0 with just about everything going right for the purple and teal outfit from the Queen City.

Regardless, the Hornets should still be brimming with confidence when they take on the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Charles Lee's preseason directive centered around pace and 'everybody eating' has come to fruition through three games with the Hornets boasting the league's best early-season offense (pinch me, I must be dreaming).

Taking down the Heat in South Beach is never an easy task, so Charlotte should be prepared for a street fight. Here are three things I'm looking for tomorrow night.

Have a neck brace handy

Both Miami and Charlotte look to push the pace.

While Charlotte has come out of the gates like a brand new Ferrari, Miami has left the season's starting blocks in a drag car. The Heat currently lead the league in pace (109.67), they're fifth in transition frequency (19.6% of possessions), and they're efficient when they run, averaging the third most points per 100 possessions in transition (148.1).

Both teams are comfortable playing an up-and-down, track meet style of hoops, but Miami does it recklessly. The Heat turn the ball over on 16.7% of their possessions (compared to Charlotte's 14.5%), the 9th worst mark in basketball. Look for LaMelo Ball and Collin Sexton to rack up some steals in Miami when the Heat get a little loose with the ball in transition, creating some easy looks for themselves and their teammates.

Physical mid-post defense

A quirk about Miami is that they set less on-ball screens than any other team in the league.

The Heat employ a bunch of hard-nosed drivers who can get downhill without the benefit of a screening action. Erik Spoelstra has devised a number of creative ways to open up driving lanes for his players ('stampede' action being one of my personal favorites), and they've been able to scrounge up efficient offense by bucking one of the league's predominant trends.

In addition to driving the ball at will, Miami runs a good number of their sets through isolations in the mid-post. Both Norm Powell and Andrew Wiggins are adept scorers outside of the restricted area, and whoever guards them (Kon Knueppel, Collin Sexton, LaMelo Ball, and Sion James will assuredly get reps) should be ready for some fancy footwork and a gaggle of fakes in attempt to create space or draw free throws.

Win the bench minutes

Historically speaking, Miami has had an uncanny ability to find big-time contributors off the Island of Misfit Toys.

The 2025-26 Heat are no different. When looking at the depth chart, the names behind the usual suspects are...suspect...to the average NBA fan. However, Miami's bench is no joke.

Through three games, the Heat are second in the league in bench scoring, getting 51.7 points per game of production from their reserves. Miami's roster goes 10-deep with dudes who can get a bucket, and Charlotte cannot relax when unheralded players like Pelle Larson, Simone Fontecchio, and Dru Smith check into the game.

That group takes (and makes) a ton of threes, they crash the glass with vigor, and they share the ball well. Charlotte's bench is deeper than ever, and they should expect a stiff challenge against Miami.

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