Wiggins, Thompson discuss Heat reunion. And Portis, Jovic on where they stand

Miami Heat admin September 30, 2026 0 Comments

Wiggins, Thompson discuss Heat reunion. And Portis, Jovic on where they stand

A six-pack of Heat notes on a Tuesday, as training camp opens at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton:

▪ When Klay Thompson signed with the Heat last month, one of the first people who reached out was Andrew Wiggins. That wasn’t a surprise, considering the friendship forged during their four seasons together in Golden State, which included one of the Warriors’ four NBA titles in the Steph Curry era.

“It’s a joy to be around Andrew,” Thompson said this week. “He’s one of the most low-maintenance All-Stars I’ve ever been around. He’s unflappable.”

Both spoke with wide smiles that reflected the fondness and respect for one another.

“Having Klay here has been great,” Wiggins said. “Klay brings so much to this team, a guy with four championships. The ultimate Finals and championship experience, fiery competitor. I’m happy to have Klay on this team and be on a team where the energy is different now.”

Wiggins said that energy, created in large part by the acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo, is palpable.

“You can feel it in the whole city,” he said. “The front office did a great job this summer, putting the right pieces together. We have a lot of shooting, a lot of defense, guys that can attack the basket. We have a good mix of everything that can make us a dangerous team.

“We have a lot of guys that can guard multiple positions. It’s going to be a special year for our defense.”

The augmented roster has left Wiggins hopeful that he and Thompson can win a second ring together.

“When I won in Golden State, that energy, that feeling, I want it back,” Wiggins said. “There is nothing like winning, to be on top of the world. All that hard work, all that sacrifice. Once you win that championship, it makes everything all worth it. I’d like that feeling again.”

So does Thompson: “I want to win. It’s the best feeling in team sports.”

▪ Coach Erik Spoelstra said he has no issue with players drawing motivation from pundits (including several former players) who have cited perceived shortcomings in the Heat’s roster. ESPN analyst Danny Green has called the Heat’s roster “trash.”

Public skepticism offers fuel for even the most decorated Heat stars.

Bobby Portis, who played with Antetokounmpo for six seasons in Milwaukee, said the two-time MVP “hears it, sees the disrespect people say about him. He’s very hungry this year to prove the naysayers wrong.”

And Thompson said: “There’s a lot of naysayers out there. I just want to prove that I can still make an impact on winning. I got a lot left in the tank.”

One Heat player who apparently isn’t particularly driven by naysayers is level-headed Dru Smith, who is a frequent target of Heat fans clamoring for a more established veteran point guard.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Smith said. “I really don’t see a lot of it; I’m not on social media.”

Demonstrating that he’s plenty good enough to be a No. 2 point guard on a contender “would be great to prove to anyone who feels that isn’t the case,” he said, adding that he’s “not necessarily… fishing for anybody’s approval.”

▪ Teammates already are running out of ways to describe Antetokounmpo’s greatness.

“He does stuff that shocks you,” Thompson said.

“He’s a monster, dominant, forceful… a generational talent,” Wiggins said. “Giannis is like the ultimate weapon. He’s not a guy where one guy can stop him. You have to game plan for someone like Giannis.”

And there was this from Pelle Larsson, in speaking about Spoelstra retaining the same up-tempo offense from a year ago: “We did get stuck a few times doing the same thing over and over and when the defense figured us out, we couldn’t move past it. Now we’ve got a former MVP on the team that’s a whole system in itself. I feel like it’s the missing piece to that system.”

▪ Portis said he dropped from 266 to 247 pounds this offseason because “I looked in the mirror and didn’t like what I saw. It was good for me to get up and down the court, switch on defense, be a little better. I didn’t want to be that guy that didn’t [pass the conditioning test].”

That desire to be svelte has made him watch what he eats when he has gone out to dinner with Bam Adebayo and Udonis Haslem this summer.

▪ Nikola Jovic said last season that one reason his three-point shooting plunged from 39.9% in his second season and 37.1% in his third to 26.9% in his fourth (45 for 167) is that he rushed his shots and didn’t set his feet in last season’s transition to a faster paced offense.

He’s determined to change that.

“I’m trying to shoot the ball a little faster,” he said, adding that his percentage is always high when he shoots on the Heat practice court.

“For some reason, last year I couldn’t shoot the ball the best during the games. I was never worried about it because I know how good a shooter I am. During the summer, that’s probably one of the things I most worked on. It for sure helped. I’m sure it will be good this year.”

Did he make any change to his mechanics? “No, no, no. Just trying to shoot it faster and try to get my feet [set] a little faster.”

Jovic said last season didn’t shake his confidence: “I know what I can do. I know how good I am. I will make sure when I step on the court I will make other guys look good too. I feel good. I’m healthy, happy where my body is. I’ve had a lot of back injuries [but] the whole summer my back luckily has been really good.”

▪ Heat training camp invite Ian Schieffelin, who played tight end for Clemson last season after his college basketball eligibility expired, knows the friendship between Spoelstra and Tigers football Dabo Swinney couldn’t have hurt his chances of landing with the Heat.

“The first thing Spoelstra said to me is his relationship with Dabo, how close they are,” Schieffelin said. “It’s great having two guys that know each other like that, two great coaches at the top tiers of their sport. Both those guys having trust in me, confidence in me, it makes me feel good, build confidence.”

He enjoyed the season on the football team, but “I knew where my heart was, so I came back to the basketball court. One of my strengths is being a rugged, gritty guy. [Playing football], you take a few more hits than you would on a basketball court. So a lot of things don’t really phase me as much as before football.” …

The Heat officially announced the signing of veteran NBA guard Lester Quinones to an Exhibit 10 deal. Here’s more about him here.

This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 4:22 PM.