The day has finally come— the Miami Heat will gear up for their long awaited 2024-25 season opener. They will be hosting the in-state rival Orlando Magic inside the newly renovated “Pat Riley court at Kaseya Center.” There is also a new fireball scoreboard in the arena, along with a rejuvenated Heat roster ready to go.
It was a longer offseason than usual, as Miami suffered an early first round exit to the reigning champion Boston Celtics last playoffs. The roster and depth chart will look vastly different from the last game to conclude this past season. Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson are all back to 100% health.
Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo are looking to continue taking leaps in their games, along with Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. continuing their development. Outside of the main core, newly signed Alec Burks will make his regular season Heat debut. Either him or Dru Smith will be playing at the backup point guard in relief of Rozier with the second unit.
Josh Richardson, the only other option for that role in the depth chart, is listed as out with a heel injury after suffering season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this year.
It also looks like veteran Kevin Love has secured the backup big minutes during preseason, leaving rookie Kel’el Ware to take a more patient development approach. A wildcard to the bench comes with Haywood Highsmith, who was re-signed to a two year deal during the summer. His 3 and D efforts will provide valuable minutes as a role player to supplement the Heat’s core.
The expected Heat rotation is as followed:
- PG: Rozier, Burks, Smith (two-way)
- SG: Herro, Robinson, Richardson
- SF: Butler, Jaquez Jr, Pelle Larsson
- PF: Jovic, Highsmith
- C: Adebayo, Love, Bryant, Ware
Tonight’s game will feature Paolo Banchero leading the Magic, an All-Star caliber talent and rising superstar in this league. Containing him will pose as the biggest challenge on Miami’s scouting report. It will also be the debut for the Magic’s free agent acquisition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. They have nobody listed on their injury report.
Offense and availability have been the main priorities for the Heat to improve on heading into the new season. Fans will get a first look at witnessing these elements following a successful preseason in this regard. Miami finished with a 4-1 record, good for a tie in first place with the Celtics and New York Knicks.
Moving forward, the games will be aired on the new FanDuel Sports Network Sun, rather than Bally Sports. Tip off is set for 7:30 PM EST with Eric Reid and John Crotty.
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
- Josh Richardson (heel) — OUT
Orlando Magic:
- None
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Miami Heat:
- Terry Rozier, G
- Tyler Herro, G
- Jimmy Butler, F
- Nikola Jovic, F
- Bam Adebayo, C
Orlando Magic:
- Jalen Suggs, G
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, G
- Franz Wagner, F
- Paolo Banchero, F
- Wendell Carter Jr, C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 7:30 PM EST
- TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun (Eric Reid & John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
Come back to Hot Hot Hoops at game time to join our GameThread and chat about the game live with other Heat fans!
