It's been a long week of camp for the Miami Heat up at FAU in Boca.
Didn't matter if it was 14 year veteran Klay Thompson or rookie Ryan Conwell, the sentiment was always the same after these practice session: they were gassed.
So much work goes into these camps that once the games start, as they do tonight against the Toronto Raptors in Quebec, it's almost easier for the players.
The expectation was that a lot of Miami's main guys would play early in this game as there's a huge need for reps with a new team and chemistry building, but the preseason is also a time for those guys on the bubble to prove they are rotation ready.
So, let's discuss three players on that bubble to watch for to kick off preseason:
Sep 28, 2026; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Ryan Conwell (4) poses for a photo during media day at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It's no surprise that everybody wants to see the rookie, Ryan Conwell. They've propped him up in camp this week by letting him run next to the first unit guys, leaning into the off the catch shooting. "Obviously when I'm on the floor with Bam and Giannis, I don't need to score 20 points," Conwell told me after camp. He's also gotten time with the third unit to test his creation and scoring ability in the later days of camp. But the point is this: whether his preseason role is spot-up shooting or added handling duties, it'll be exciting to see how he looks out there against NBA level talent.
Sep 28, 2026; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Tre Donaldson (24) poses for a photo during media day at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
When it comes to the guys that really popped in camp, Tre Donaldson is at the top of that list. He was controlling a lot of those third unit squads with some of the exhibit 10 guys, and he just has a good balance of being a set-up and under control point guard, while also having more scoring juice off the bounce than expected. With that said, his pop is coming at a strong time individually with some preseason opportunity arising after Dru Smith strained his calf in camp. If he comes out with an extremely strong two-way couple of preseason games, it wouldn't shock me if he got some early season run.
Sep 28, 2026; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) poses for a photo during media day at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The final name is a little bit different than the last two, as this isn't another rookie who we haven't seen on an NBA floor. We've seen Nikola Jovic a lot, but when it comes to players on that rotation bubble who have to work their way back into consistent minutes, Jovic is that guy. He spent a lot of time in camp working on something he believes should be his focus: scoring on strong wing defenders. He was in the bracket of Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson all week, as Jovic told me he knows he can beat bigger guys off the dribble, but now it's about bypassing the Larsson type defenders. The Heat need a simplified offensive version of Jovic in preseason, and if he shows that at a consistent rate, it could shape the ceiling of this roster.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as Three Miami Heat players with major preseason opportunity .
