The solution to the Heat's post-Giannis trade shortage of playmakers

The Miami Heat are back in the fast lane after landing Giannis Antetokounmpo via trade. They should have their best regular season, at least, since 2021-22 in which they won 53 games as the first seed and be good enough for home-court advantage through round one of the playoffs.

On paper, they have one of the best duos in the league, yet they are a bit light on playmaking guards outside of Davion Mitchell and Dru Smith.

There's a significant drop off between the two when it comes to making it easier for their teammates as well. It's not like the Heat are going to run Tex Winter's triangle, which could make up for this, but there is a simple solution in the meantime before they bring in reinforcements: have Giannis play more as the point guard.

Naturally, anyone who has averaged 28.5 points per game the last 10 years is going to be regarded as a scorer, but he doesn't get enough credit for being a great passer. He doesn't have the advanced vision of Nikola Jokić, but he can throw dots that impress the eye, too. Part of the reason he is so good with the ball is because he has massive hands.

He has experience playing point guard in Greece and very early in his NBA career (he logged 40 percent of his minutes at point guard in 2015-16, per Basketball Reference's position estimate). It should be an easy transition if the team needs him to do it since his passes created the most 3-point attempts for his teammates the last 10 seasons in large part because his drive-and-kick game is so lethal.

Perhaps he can be the set up man out of the post, since he can backdown almost anyone, which will bring help, or run face-up actions out of the elbow/nail to open up the perimeter.

One would expect a slower pace if they have to rely on Antetokounmpo as a playmaker for long stretches. The Heat's run-and-stun style is physically taxing aside from the mental one that the ball handler takes on.

Nonetheless, going slower could open up inverted sets with him getting into the lane easier, and the option of big-to-big screen rolls with Adebayo would be there. Consider how much of a top-shelf athlete Adebayo is, with great hands and how he is always open after a screen. The 2026-27 season might have the most lobs since the Big Three era.

On top of that, using Antetokounmpo more as a playmaker could potentially unlock a triple-big lineup with him, Bobby Portis and Adebayo, which could turn into a powerhouse on the offensive glass and at stopping dribble penetration.

Regardless of how they work around a short set of playmakers, coach Erik Spoelstra will unleash Antetokounmpo's versatility, which will make up for a lot of holes similarly to how LeBron James did for four years. Fortunately for the Heat, they'll see it translate to the win column instead of the opposite one when James left.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as The solution to the Heat's post-Giannis trade shortage of playmakers.

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This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 3:00 PM.