One Heat player getting his first true opportunity tonight
As the Heat got ready for the Kings on Saturday night, a morning MRI for elite guard Tyler Herro came back generally positive on that injured big toe.
Labeled as a contusion, he’s going to move forward as “day-to-day” in the recovery process. Yet while it’s positive big picture, he will remain out tonight for the Heat.
That wasn’t the only piece of injury news for the night, as Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson were ruled out on the second night of the back to back.
Out tonight for the Heat:
Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell, and Pelle Larsson
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) December 6, 2025
So for starters, Dru Smith gets an immediate promotion for the night, as he should be stepping right into that Mitchell role with the starters. But who gets elevated behind him?
“Dru will step into that role, Jahmir (Young) will step in and be ready,” Erik Spoelstra said pregame tonight. “We still want to get to our identity.”
With the expected first five of Smith, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, and Kel’el Ware, a chance presents itself for the young two-way point guard.
Jaime Jaquez Jr, Simone Fontecchio, and Nikola Jovic will be staples of that bench, and Young will be looked to as a pace pusher and under control handler for short pockets of this game.
Much of the two-ways haven’t gotten a ton of extended run this season, which is good when considering the health and depth of this current Miami team, but it is unfortunate that rookie Kasparas Jakucionis currently sits in the G-League along with Vlad Goldin and Myron Gardner.
In six games with Sioux Falls, Young is averaging 25.5 points a night, 6.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds. He’s been able to get downhill on the regular, which is something this current Heat offense thrives off.
Even in the preseason, although Miami finished 0-6, Young showed flashes of outside shooting as he would often play off the ball for others to create.
He won’t be given a major role most likely, but Spoelstra mentioning his name as an option spins a narrative that it might be a rotational chance tonight.
After losing three of their last four, the Heat look to improve that positive home record against Sacramento in less than 2 hours.
