Ira Winderman: What's next for revamped Heat? EuroBasket could offer intriguing insights.

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Aug 24, 2025

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MIAMI — The games that matter for the Miami Heat officially don’t begin until the Oct. 22 season opener against the Orlando Magic.

And yet meaningful basketball for the Heat is at hand. This coming week. In August.

While none of those involved will be in Heat colors, a case could be made that the impending start of EuroBasket could offer a needed tell when it comes to what might come next for the Heat’s revamped roster.

Even if it comes with Nikola Jovic in Serbia colors, Pelle Larsson representing Sweden, and Simone Fontecchio lining up for Italy.

In each case, an opening statement could be made ahead of the Heat’s Sept. 30 start of training camp at Florida Atlantic University.

In Europe’s championships, arguably the most competitive sphere of international basketball competition, Jovic and Serbia stand as leading men, Fontecchio and Italy have a world-class program, while Larsson and Sweden only now are emerging on the international scene.

Still, for each of the three Heat players participating in the event, much of what Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wants to see, perhaps needs to see, could be on display.

With Jovic, it is stepping into more of a leading role on the Serbian side alongside Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, just as Spoelstra wants to see from Jovic with the Heat alongside Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.

For Fontecchio, it is showing in Italy’s efforts that the shooting stroke has been regained after last season’s uneven ride with the Detroit Pistons, perhaps opening a Heat role similar to the player he was dealt for, Duncan Robinson.

And for Larsson, it is about making the most of his opportunity with Sweden, just as he did with the Heat during summer league.

For Jovic and Serbia, EuroBasket starts Wednesday against Estonia in Latvia.

For Larsson and Sweden, it starts Wednesday with the challenge of taking on Lauri Markkanen and Finland in Finland.

And for Fontecchio and Italy, it opens Thursday against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in Cyprus.

The perspective on EuroBasket is similar to soccer’s European Championships. Soccer’s Euros might not quite be the World Cup, but there arguably is a greater depth of quality teams. Similarly, EuroBasket may not be basketball’s World Cup or the Olympics, but it rivals, if not exceeds, the level of passion of those two worldwide events.

The Heat got to see that firsthand, when Goran Dragic led Slovenia to the championship at EuroBasket in 2017.

From that breakthrough, Dragic rejoined the Heat days later in training camp and went on to his lone All-Star season.

Dragic’s performance at EuroBasket in many ways was a takeoff point to another level, certainly as a leader, as he counseled a specific youthful Slovenian teammate at the time, namely 18-year-old Luka Doncic.

EuroBasket is a grueling ride, one not without the risk or injury or burnout. EuroBasket will not be over until the Sept. 14 championship game in Latvia, 15 days before the Heat convene for their Sept. 29 media day at Kaseya Center and then start training camp the next day.

To a degree, that likely made it a smart move not to have Heat first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis force the issue to play with Lithuania at EuroBasket, the 19-year-old better able to ramp up to his first NBA training camp on the Heat’s practice court at Kaseya Center, alongside Heat staffers and coaches, with the opportunity to digest the team’s playbook.

But if Jovic, Fontecchio or Larsson show something at EuroBasket, it will be tangible and translatable, the level of intensity on a far higher level than the Heat’s six exhibitions, with the NBA players in the event pushing harder than will be on display during any preseason game.

So, yes, basketball, real basketball, meaningful basketball, again this week, in a tournament featuring the likes of MVP-level talents such as Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Doncic, as well as elite NBA players such as Markkanen, Alperen Sengun, Kristaps Porzingis, Franz Wagner, Nikola Vucevic, Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher.

And for the Heat, a petri dish before the next level of experimentation in camp when it comes to Jovic, Larsson and Fontecchio.