MIAMI — Based on the Miami Heat’s roster makeup, the initial thought was that the 260-pounder would be the power forward most nights, or at least a 250-pound big man or a 240-pound rookie.
Instead, many times, it’s the 210-pound option.
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Just like Andrew Wiggins, a 30-year-old professional small forward.
“I just go out there and play,” said Wiggins, who is listed by the Heat at 6-foot-7, 210 pounds.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra has emphasized the need to maximize his roster, which lately has meant working with a starting lineup that includes guards Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell and Tyler Herro, with Wiggins being asked to sacrifice a lot by playing power forward with 260-pound Bam Adebayo at center and 250-pound Kyle Ware off the bench.
In the season opener, 240-pounder Nikola Jovic was named power forward. In what has been an uneven journey, Jovic has yet to set out again.
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This season, Heat power forward Wiggins started 14 times (8 wins and 6 losses), Adebayor started 10 times (6 wins and 4 losses), and Jovic started once (0 wins and 1 loss).
For Wiggins, he’s been here before, playing a career-high 51% of center minutes with the Golden State Warriors in 2020-21 and 34% of center minutes in 2023-24, his final full season with the Warriors, according to Basketball Reference.
However, last season, after being traded to the Heat in a mid-season trade, Wiggins only played 5% of the time at the power forward position. Because Spoelstra entered the lineup where Adebayo played alongside Ware, coupled with the heavy use of Jovic, this was basically an exception this season.
Wiggins said he’s taking it all in stride.
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“It doesn’t stress me out at all. I feel comfortable,” he said as the Heat return from a five-day break to face the Toronto Raptors on Monday night at Cassia Center before starting a three-game set. “At the beginning of the year, it was relatively new.
“But, like I said, I feel comfortable right now and I feel like I’m doing a solid job as a power forward. I mean, it has its pros and cons.”
To put Wiggins’ elevated role into perspective, the Heat listed Wiggins as the same weight as 6-foot point guard Davion Mitchell.
Wiggins’ absence last time meant facing the defensive challenge of Orlando Magic power forward Paolo Banchero, who weighed 250 pounds. Wiggins maintained his form. Banchero scored 18 points and Wiggins scored 19 points, although they ultimately lost 117-108.
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“He’s a little bit bigger than me,” Wiggins said. “But he’s got the size and I’ve got the speed. So you know what the pros and cons are. I think I’m better than the average guy. So I just go out there and fight the big dogs and make the most of it.”
As Will becomes more consistent, Wiggins may have less of a role in making use of his size. The same would have been true had Jovic not fallen so quickly.
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Speaking of Jovic, Spoelstra said: “He has to keep at it. Every day is a chance for him to get better and impress. He has training days to show us, which is good. But he has been working behind the scenes and he will get another chance.”
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Still, Wiggins has been in the power rotation for weeks now, for a player who averaged no more than 3 percent of his time in the power role over his first five seasons.
For Wiggins, it’s just a matter of sticking with the challenge, even if it might not be a challenge of choice.
“I’ve been feeling really good lately,” he said. “I feel good. We train hard. We play hard. But we get a lot of rest. They’ve done a great job here with all the treatments and stuff, so I feel good.”
Everything continues with the heavy lifting.
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“I probably played four more games here in my first 25 games than anywhere else,” he said, “that’s for sure.”
