Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made a bold move, benching Andrew Wiggins for Pelle Larsson against Sacramento on Sunday, The Miami Herald reports. The decision ended a starting five that had been outscored by 8.9 points per 100 possessions in its 103 minutes together, and Spoelstra felt a shake‑up was overdue.
“These are tough decisions. I really feel for Wiggs on this,” he said. “Pelle brings the connector role, steady energy and toughness we need to balance the group.”
Larsson seized the chance, tallying 11 points, three boards and three assists in 22 minutes as Miami eked out a six‑point win, though foul trouble trimmed his minutes. The revamped starters outscored the Kings by 12 points in the 11 minutes they played.
Wiggins logged six points, three rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes, his first outing as a reserve since the 2025 trade. He entered the night posting career‑low averages: 8.6 points, 8.4 shots, 0.7 free‑throw attempts, 3.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals and 25.8 minutes per game.
“Wiggs contributed well off the bench tonight,” Spoelstra noted. “Now it’s an all‑hands‑on‑deck effort.” For my money, the bench depth will determine Miami’s playoff fate.
There’s more on the Heat:
- Ryan Conwell is carving out bigger minutes on the bench, nudging Tim Hardaway Jr. aside, Chiang observes. The rookie appeared in Spoelstra’s closing lineup Sunday, while Hardaway, a summer free‑agent meant for perimeter shooting, went scoreless in seven minutes.
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPN dissects why the Heat have stumbled early despite the Antetokounmpo trade. Defensive lapses keep Miami 25th in the league, even with elite defenders on the roster. “Right now, we don’t trust one another,” Giannis recently admitted. “We lack that extra effort; we showed it for two games, then bad habits resurfaced.” If the squad restores confidence, they could break into the top ten by season’s close.