Story by
Heat most to blame for another mid season after heartbreaking NBA Play-In Tournament loss to Hornets
- Story by
- Heat most to blame for another mid season after heartbreaking NBA Play-In Tournament loss to Hornets
Heat most to blame for another mid season after heartbreaking NBA Play-In Tournament loss to Hornets appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Recently, the Miami Heat saw their 2025-26 season come to a merciful end with a brutal loss to the Charlotte Hornets in the play-in tournament. The loss marks Miami's first time missing the playoffs since the 2019 season, and could bring major changes this offseason if Pat Riley and company finally decide to make a move.
Advertisement
Here's who is most to blame for the Heat season unraveling the way it did.
Nikola Jovic
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Miami Heat had high hopes for forward Nikola Jovic since they drafted him three years ago, but the youngster appears to have fully stagnated, at times finding himself completely out of Erik Spoelstra's rotation.
For an organization that prides itself on player development and leans heavily on younger players coming into their own with the help of Spoelstra and company, Jovic's lack of progression was a major frustration this season, and certainly put a dent in Miami's plans of trying to work their way back up the Eastern Conference standings.
Advertisement
It remains unclear what the future will hold for Jovic, whose trade value is essentially zero at this point, and who has also encountered some injury troubles so far in his career.
Norman Powell
Isabella Frias-Imagn Images
In fairness to Norman Powell , the veteran had an excellent start to his first season with the Heat, even generating an All-Star nod due to his scoring punch and solid leadership skills that he put on display.
However, all of that good favor came crashing down as the season continued, with Powell's shooting percentages plummeting and absences from the lineup increasing. He had a rough night in the team's play-in game loss to the Hornets, and it's not exactly clear what the future will hold for him in a Miami uniform.
Advertisement
The team might be enticed to explore trade packages this summer with teams in need of a boost of perimeter scoring, but the Heat certainly wouldn't be able to get as much for him now as they would have had they traded him at the peak of his powers earlier in the season.
For a team that grew overly reliant on Powell's perimeter scoring juice, his decline down the stretch of the season proved devastating.
Pat Riley
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
He may not be a player, but no one deserves more blame for where the Heat now find themselves than Pat Riley, who has sat back and watched as his team has fallen from their NBA Finalist heights of three years ago to now being in the lower half of the Eastern Conference.
Advertisement
The Heat front office has routinely stayed idle as opposed to shaking up the roster, claiming that they like what they have in the locker room and holding onto worn-out cliches like "Heat Culture" that are mostly now viewed as a joke by the rest of the league.
If Riley isn't motivated to finally make a big change this offseason, it's unlikely that the Heat will ever get back into something resembling contention as long as he is at the controls.
Related: NBA rumors: Bulls, Kings asked Heat about Tyler Herro trade at deadline
Related: Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes final pitch for 6th Man of the Year trophy
