Sometimes, all it takes is one small adjustment for a team to turn things around. The Miami Heat are hoping that to be the case for them this upcoming season, especially on the offensive end of the floor. And Nikola Jovic may have just revealed what that small change might be.
All throughout media day, schematic changes were the theme. It began with Erik Spoelstra and was hinted at by various players. But it was Jovic who made it clear and concise - the Heat intend, or need, to play fast this season.
Nikola Jovic with the theme of the day: “We got to play fast.”
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) September 29, 2025
This is not exactly splitting the atom, but it would be quite the change for the Heat if this were, in fact, something that was prioritized heading into the start of training camp. It would be a stark pivot from what has become the norm for the Heat over the last few years.
The Heat have notoriously struggled with pace
Over the past five seasons, the Heat have been a bottom-5 team in the league in pace. Even when their offense has been good, they've never been considered a team that has "played fast," and the stats back that up.
The last time the Heat were even just average compared to the rest of the NBA in pace was the 2011-12 season. Sure, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade may not be walking through that door, but the Heat do have the young, spry legs to pick up the pace heading into this season.
And if the Heat are intending to lean more into their young core, playing at a faster pace is what is going to give them an edge over their opponents. If it's not necessarily going to come from a talent discrepancy, the Heat will have to play at a much faster pace than they've been accustomed to in the past.
Can the Heat solve their offensive woes?
I wouldn't go all the way to suggest that the Heat's offensive woes are going to be completely solved by playing faster, but it can't hurt. Mathematically, if the Heat have more offensive possessions, they're going to naturally have a better chance to be more productive on that end of the floor.
It's certainly not ideal that the Heat will have to start the season without their best offensive player, with Tyler Herro being sidelined for at least the first month of the year, and without their best 3-point shooter from last season, as Duncan Robinson was shipped off this summer via sign-and-trade, but there are ways to offset those losses.
And the hope is that Spo can address those concerns with a slightly altered offensive scheme. If the theme of media day was any indication, that may all start with the team playing faster on the offensive end of the floor. If so, it'd certainly be a breath of fresh air for Heat fans.