Heat’s ‘gritty, competitive’ bench providing early season spark. Also, Bam says ‘vibes are high’
The early returns on the Miami Heat’s bench have been encouraging. Very encouraging.
The four-man bench unit of Simone Fontecchio, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic and Dru Smith has produced eye-opening and game-changing results during the Heat’s solid 2-1 start to the season. The Heat’s reserves have combined to average 60 points per game while shooting 54.1% from the field and 18 of 44 (40.9%) from three-point range during the past two games — in Friday’s win aginast the Grizzlies in Memphis and Sunday’s victory over the New York Knicks in Miami.
Most importantly, the Heat’s reserves are winning their minutes. The Heat’s bench has combined to outscore opponents by a dominant margin of 19.4 points per 100 possessions during the past two games.
“It’s a really gritty group,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the bench unit ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets at Kaseya Center (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun). “So it’s a competitive group. And where you think you may have advantages if you’re the other team, they make up for it with their activity and their toughness. They have a belief and a spirit about them that is great.”
The Heat has actually outscored opponents by a total of 46 points in the 29 minutes that the bench quartet of Fontecchio, Jaquez, Jovic and Smith has been on the court together through the first three games of the season. Those bench lineups have helped Miami gain separation from its opponent in both of its wins this season.
“Offensively, wow. I mean, they just really play a collective game,” Spoelstra continued. “The ball moves, they cut, they move great without the ball, they find open players. It’s really a fun group to watch. And that’s two games in a row where they really impacted the game.
“We want to just feed that group as much confidence as possible. I want them just to be slightly to heavily unreasonable. It’s been a great boost for us.”
The Heat entered Monday averaging the second-most bench points in the NBA this season at 51.7 per game on a league-best 55.9% shooting from the field.
“We’re loving it,” Fontecchio said. “I think it’s a great group of guys, everybody that’s coming off the bench. … I think everybody just kind of plays the right way. We want to play for each other and help each other on defense. On offense, we try to play the right way. It’s very easy to play with these kinds of guys.”
The NBA season is less than a week old. But so far, so good for the Heat’s bench.
“I always tell them we’re either going to be the spark or we’re going to be the gas on the fire of the team,” Jaquez said. “So we’ve got to get it sparked up. We’re going to do that. We’ve got to put gas on the fire that the guys already got. We’re going to do that, as well. So that’s kind of the motto I give to the guys.”
GOOD VIBES
After dealing with the Jimmy Butler saga for most of last season, Heat coaches and players are seemingly in a better headspace to begin this season. Of course, winning two of the first three games helps.
“The vibes are good, and we want to keep that rolling,” Jaquez said.
Heat captain and center Bam Adebayo added: “We’re in a great space mentally and you see it. We got a new addition in [Norman Powell], Simo [Fontecchio] and we’re kind of building off that. The vibes are high right now, so keep riding this wave.”
Spoelstra has no problem with his players enjoying the ride.
“It’s a cool locker room,” Spoelstra said. “They enjoy each other, they’re having fun right now. This league is a tough league. There’s nothing wrong with guys really enjoying the game, enjoying each other, enjoying competing. We want our fan base to enjoy this team. There’s a lot to be excited about, and hopefully this can just spark and create some momentum.”
HEAT EATS
Kaseya Center is offering value deals for fans attending Heat home games this season.
That includes a pizza deal featuring four pizzas, four chips, and four waters for $60. This is available at sections 101, 113, and 416.
There’s also a hot dog deal with four small hot dogs, four small popcorns, and four regular sodas or waters for $40. This is available at sections 112 and 406.
For younger fans, Kaseya Center is introducing two Burnie Kids Meals, each priced at $15. The Burnie Hot Dog Meal is available at sections 112, 315, 406, and 416, while the Burnie Chicken Nugget Meal is available at 108, 117, 309, and 325.
The Grab n Go stands on the 400 level are also offering fan-friendly pricing.
For additional information on food and beverage deals, visit KaseyaCenter.com.
INJURY REPORT
The Heat listed Fontecchio as questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the visiting Hornets because of left calf soreness.
Tyler Herro (ankle surgery), Kasparas Jakucionis (right groin strain) and Terry Rozier (not with team) remain out for the Heat.
The Hornets will be without Josh Green, Brandon Miller, Drew Peterson, Antonio Reeves, KJ Simpson and Grant Williams against the Heat. In addition, Tre Mann is questionable with a jaw contusion.
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 3:13 PM.
