Erik Spoelstra | Media Availability | July 12, 2025

Erik Spoelstra | Media Availability | July 12, 2025

Speaking of speaking of chemistry, how do you see them in time playing off each other? I think that’ll work uh very well. Uh they’re both skilled. Uh they both have that ability to be on the ball obviously and they both have proven that they can play off the ball. Uh Norm has done that for a lot of his career. played off the ball, played off of high usage guys, and he’s extremely efficient with his catch and shoot uh ability and his cutting and his uh driving ability getting downhill. But as he proved, you know, the last three years, he also can be a a go-to guy where you put the ball in his hands and he’s going to make uh some things happen for your team. Um I think they’ll really enjoy, you know, playing off each other because of the skill set. Uh they’re both uh you know unselfish in terms of understanding the big picture and wanting other guys uh to be to be aggressive. We need it. We need we need uh more uh you know guys that can make plays um make it a little bit more complex for a def defense to prepare for us. When you look at the East obviously Boston’s going to have a very different dynamic. Indiana is going to look very different. Yeah, I think I know that everything’s kind of wide open. Do you look at it that way? You know, I don’t and I think that’s that’s cool, you know, for the fan base, you know, to look at it that way. Uh we’re not afraid of the competition. And you can’t be afraid of the competition. You can’t think that, oh, just because, you know, there’s been some changes in rosters or some injuries that, oh, now we have a chance. That’s that’s kind of a loser’s mentality. You know, we want to compete at the highest level regardless of who’s out there. Uh, we know we have to improve. We knew we had to do some uh things this offseason. We uh know that we have to have a a really good training camp, which um I think we will. We’re go guys are going to uh come in prepared. We’ll have a productive uh August and September. Um I’ve talked to everybody. Everybody’s motivated. We’ve had plenty of time off. Everybody wants to just gear up and get ready. Um and you can feel the energy. You can feel the excitement building. Um, it doesn’t have to be all there right now, but it look, it’s happening organically. I feel it myself. The staff feels it, the players feel it. You know, it’s not that we wish training camp could be tomorrow. But, uh, I think it’ll be a nice healthy ramp up, you know, to get to there. And there’s still going to be great competition and that that’s what it’s about. You got to you got to embrace it and we’re looking forward to it. when you unpacked the season and just did your autopsy, if you will, of everything, what you take away from Well, there’s there’s a few takeaways. Um, I don’t need to get into the the whole deal, right? You know, right there. I think we we really started to put it together. You know, there were a lot of things obviously happened. Um, and we pride ourselves in in hitting stride and getting better as the season goes on at the right times. It happened very late for us. It happened in about the last 10 games. Uh and then that led to two really competitive playin games. Big picture, that’s not where we want to be. But it felt like we were building something in those 10 games. And those two games were exhilarating. The locker room was alive after that Atlanta uh game and then it was a buzz kill after that. Um but there’s different levels to this. We understand that. um you know those close games are are something that we’ve really uh analyzed. Um that can change the trajectory of your season if you handle those moments of truth better and you you have uh few more wins out of those groupings of games that were very winnable, fourth quarter leads, that kind of stuff. Whole league’s trying to figure that out. Um but that’s given us something to to really uh dive into. Um and then offensively, you know, building a system where uh you know, it can be dynamic um and a little bit tougher to uh to just prepare for if you’re on the other side. What do you want uh Kell to take from this summer league experience? And how would you kind of evaluate what he’s done this offseason? So, okay, that there’s layers uh to this with Kell. Um, you know, a big part of this is he has to uh really embrace uh and improve his professionalism, his consistency, his approach uh every single day. He he has to get better with that. Uh it’s learning how to become a pro. I understand it. He was 20 last year and he’s 21. We have bigger expectations. It’s not your normal uh growth and growing pains of a young player learning how to become a pro. But that’s what this summer uh is about. um learning how to become a pro, uh learning how to be consistent um every single day. The talent is there. Uh the professionalism uh and consistency uh has to improve. Um and it is, you know, our standards are not going to change and our expectations of how fast we want that to improve for him are not going to change. Um but he’s got to get better at it. He has to take ownership of it. Um and uh you know the other stuff will will come along with that. You know that leads into the weight room. You know your professionalism, your consistency, your approach every single day. Uh he’s getting stronger. Um he is gaining weight. Um, that’s a big part of his improvement is getting his body physically prepared and ready to handle the rigors of a physical position. Then there’s the nuances of uh doing things defensively and playing stronger with more force uh offensively. We’re working on those things every single day. Malik uh you know I think is the best big man coach and mentor in the league and they they’re spending a lot of time um hitting you know pounding lower physical um you saw a piece of it right here uh at the end um you know that that’s what we feel like we do we feel like you know also giving them the structure uh to grow and embrace becoming a pro learning how to be a professional you know uh every single day being early. Um having a a great energy and countenance uh every day. Uh how you do anything is how you do everything. Um and you know he’s he’s taken some steps, but he’s got to get better. He has to get better with the professionalism. Nico, obviously the injury last year kind of derailed what he was doing, but then it looked like he was starting to find a comfort zone a little bit when he came back. What do you want to see from him? How important is it to kind of a specific role for him this year. That’ll happen. It was already happening before he got hurt. Um, and you know, he’s a a unique skill set. Uh, so, you know, part of his strength is making other players better. Some of it is in these plays in between that are unscripted. That’s oftentimes where he’s at his best. He also can get lost like any player if you’re playing strictly in those areas where you can get lost in the soft. So, he can play on the ball. Uh but we have a lot of guys that can play on the ball. So, there’s going to be a balance, you know, right there. His growth also will continue to be the professionalism, the consistency approach, his work ethic, which if you compare that to where it is right now, and that’s why I’m encouraged about Kell is you look at where Nico was as a rookie to where he’s becoming right now. It’s night and day. The the work ethic um and his consistency of approach every single day. Uh, I think the last two summers have been really good because it’s been a um a strong balance of the Miami Heat player development program and then going to play for his national team. I think that’s helped his maturity uh because it it means a a whole lot to that team and every player and every coaching staff. You can’t just go in there like casual. Um so I think that’s been as important as the stuff we’ve been doing. Um and I think this summer they they have big expectations and um you know the first year he was a token starter on the world championships and then any moments of truth he wasn’t playing. Coaches will play who they think can help you win. Last year he was probably the eighth or ninth 10th man. Biggest stage. So my challenge to him was break in the rotation. Make that uh Hall of Fame coach earn your trust. Um, and it’s all the consistency. It’s the winning things. It’s your approach. Um, that’s no different than here. I I love the fact that he’s playing for that coach who’s very demanding. Um, but uh Nico had a really good uh June and late May. He’s put on some strength, too. He’s just going to come back looking different. You know, every year he comes back stronger, bigger. Uh, I’m excited uh about um you know his improvement. I mean Kevin’s role as obviously he was more of a locker when he was around this past season. Now that he’s not there you had UD in that role for a number of years before Kevin. Now Kevin’s gone. Who takes that? I mean, the first part of it like um mean it’s always tough, you know, when you’re you’re making transitions, you know, it’s tough, you know, to make those calls. Um it was tough, you know, to make that call with Duncan. D and I had a beautiful conversation because it was really more about the two of us being grateful for the relationship and all the memories of something that was so improbable. You know, it was there from the very beginning. Uh and thinking, wow, is this guy going to make it? You know, it doesn’t fit the the the prototype. Um, but his superpower was his fortitude and grit that I respect so much that I think, you know, I tell him all the time that it’s really uh a book, you know, to talk about how many things you had to overcome, how many nos that you didn’t accept as a no and just keep on staying with it all the time. That was the tough conversation that turned into a beautiful one. That was really, you know, kind of emotional for for both of us. Um, but I’m happy for him. You know, with Kevin, um, you know, those that that’s tough. There is a business part of it. Um, you know, the reality is the last couple years this group has been transitioning. The leadership is has really been moving on more to Bam, you know, and and it really has to be other guys, too. Tyler, you know, stepping up. It can’t just be one guy, you know, that that way of being a captain before is uh is still important, but you need a group that is embracing leadership at all levels in today’s NBA. I I feel uh and I think we have some potential, you know, with this group um for more guys to step in. You like Tyler, like Norm. Norm’s a vet. Um he’s played in a lot of really important playoff games. Um, Wigs, I think as he gets comfortable with Wigs, so much of this with him is about being comfortable. He finally got comfortable in a month. It didn’t take long. He got comfortable and he was, you know, he he was dynamic, you know, you know, with there, but I I think we’ll have uh leadership that we’ll um establish throughout the roster starting in training camp. With Haime, um he talked about how he wants to bounce back after last year. What kind of conversations have you guys had? What are you looking for going to train? Had some really good conversations. I I I told him I don’t necessarily like the dialogue of we just have to get back to who you were the your first half of the rookie year. Everything’s kind of changed, right? I’m not talking about the rotation. I’m talking about how uh the league will scout and figure things out extremely fast. So, by the time we got to the second half of it, take that as a sign of respect. U because he’s a downhill guy. He really is. He’s uh he’s aggressive, he’s crafty, he’s clever when he gets into all of his spins and fake spins and and putting his shoulder down. Now, it’s about making uh the paint decision reads uh when you get in there because you can still get in there. He’ll improve his shooting. Everybody always does, you know, with us. Um but I don’t want it to be his whole game based on whether he’s making a three-point shot or not. That’s not him at his best. him at his best are these plays that are unscripted, getting downhill. Um, but now he has to make more complex decisions. When the help defenders are there often times last year, two help defenders, guys are wide open making those plays. Um, defensively, um, when he’s at his best, he’s just around the ball a lot, whether that means the deflection, the steel, or just a hustle play, like coming up with momentum shifting plays. That’s who defined him when he was in in college. Um, so really leaning into uh that. Uh, and other than that, he and I just talked about clearing his mind. You know, he spent a good deal of time with us, spent with Dan and Rob and working on his shooting and working on his player development, working on his body, and then he’s going to spend some time in LA. I want he’s got a phenomenal work ethic. Like he works out three times a day, you know, want him to like play some pickup, you know, in LA. um play some five on five with those things in mind uh at UCLA, all that stuff and then come back out, you know, at some point uh in August, clear mind um red kick some

Eric Spoelstra spoke to the media following Saturday Afternoon’s practice at 2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas.

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