Two Young Miami Heat Stars Struggle In Season Opener

The Miami Heat's season opener was one to forget as they lost by 25 points at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. There were certainly some highlights as new acquisition Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to not have missed a beat when it comes to being the MVP-type player and Klay Thompson also turned back the clock early in the game, shooting 50 percent from three-point range. However, it was mostly a night filled with downs against one of the better teams in the Western Conference and while it isn't always wise to overreact after the first regular season game, there are certainly some things to be concerned about.

Outside of Antetokounmpo, nobody on the roster played particularly great or had a standout performance, including NIkola Jovic and Pelle Larsson, two players the Heat are tied to for the foreseeable future.

Jovic, 23, is entering the season on a relatively short leash. He signed his four-year, $62.5 million rookie scale contract extension prior to last season that is now kicking in. Jovic was the team's first-round pick from 2022 and Pat Riley really liked what he had to offer for the team in the future. However, it seems the team is already regretting that contract decision as Jovic was basically a non-factor down the stretch of the regular season, only appearing in eight games post-January. 

Heading into this season, he is expected to serve as a Swiss army knife off the bench as a power forward behind Antetokounmpo. However, it seems his struggles from last season have carried over thus far. On Wednesday night, he received 24 minutes, posting four points, four rebounds and two assists while shooting two-for-eight from the field and missing all three of his three-point attempts. 

Larsson, 25, was the team's second-round pick from 2024. He signed a four-year, $60 million rookie scale contract extension in September after a breakout campaign last season. Larsson had a bigger role than expected last year with all the turmoil and injuries in the backcourt. Even though he was great for this team last year, he has still been viewed as a breakout candidate heading into this season. 

On Wednesday night, he also received 24 minutes, posting two points, three rebounds and four assists while shooting zero-for-two from the field and missing his lone three-point attempt.

Now, as mentioned earlier, it is premature to overreact this early in the regular season but with the Heat's rotation being dominated by veteran talent, the team needs their young pieces to perform well to establish a strong foundation outside of this season alone.