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Davion Mitchell, Miami Heat
Davion Mitchell joined the Miami Heat at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. He was part of the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. Mitchell immediately hit the ground running on South Beach, proving himself to be a key part of Erik Spoelstra’s rotation.
In a recent news conference, Mitchell discussed his seamless fit in Miami. He noted how Spoelstra had empowered him to play his hard-nosed defensive style while also being confident on the offensive side of the floor.
“Coach Spo told me the first day, ‘Just be yourself. I want you to be yourself. Go out there defensively and offensively and play your game. You know how to play the game. Get your teammates involved,’” Mitchell said. “Things that I’ve been doing since I’ve been playing basketball and I had the opportunity to do it here. The past places I’ve been to, I didn’t really have the opportunity. I was playing with a lot of good players, so I understood it.”
Mitchell is heading into restricted free agency. The Heat will have the opportunity to sign any offer sheet Mitchell signs. However, there will undoubtedly be a limit in terms of what Pat Riley is willing to pay. Still, after such an impressive few months with the franchise, the coaching staff will likely want to keep him around long-term.
Heat Should Target Russell Westbrook
Regardless of what happens with Mitchell this summer, the Heat must find a solution to their point-guard problems. Terry Rozier‘s tenure with the franchise has not gone to plan. As such, a new lead ball-handler is essential.
Bailey Bassett of ClutchPoints has pinpointed Russell Westbrook as a potential target for the Heat, once he becomes available.
“Nobody would question Westbrook’s hustle, work ethic, or competitiveness,” Bassett wrote. “All of these factors make him a solid free-agency fit for the Miami Heat…Westbrook is unlikely to sign for more than the veteran minimum, and adding good players for cheap has to be something that would intrigue the Heat.”
Westbrook would be a stop-gap solution for Miami. Nevertheless, he would allow Riley and the front office staff some much-needed time to locate a long-term fit at the point guard position.
Besides targeting some new additions, and keeping hold of free agents, Miami also needs some of its younger players to take another developmental step. Jaime Jaquez Jr. is undoubtedly the highest-potential prospect within the Heat’s roster.
Erik Spoelstra recently detailed what the next steps for Jaquez should look like.
“Clearly he has to work on some things, which he will,” Spoelstra said, via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “He’ll work on defending in open space, defending situationally in our system. Outside shooting will be key again, but he was working on that last summer. I think a full summer again, I think he’ll see big progress. He was coming out of training camp shooting the ball great.”
Spolestra continued.
“So I think we can fast-track that. Then, ultimately, the hardest one is decision-making. Schemes have changed against him, and he has to be aggressive, but now there’s going to be different schemes, and you graduate to different levels of this. When there’s a second defender, making the right read and finding open guys when he’s in a crowd.”
Miami is facing a lot of questions heading into the 2025 offseason. The team should look considerably different by the start of the 2025-26 campaign. However, internal development is a crucial part of improving the current team. Therefore, all eyes will be on Jaquez once the new season gets underway. After all, he is part of the franchise’s future.
Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns for Heavy. He has also written for CelticsBlog, USA Today, Yardbarker and FanSided. Adam has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor
