Heat Nightly
All teams
The Biscayne Brief · Morning

Heat Circle October 1 For Five Comebacks

Giannis, Adebayo and three camp bodies all target the same return date.

2026-10-01Target return date for five players
By the Heat Nightly Desk · Monday, September 21

Five Miami players are working back toward the same date: October 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Trevor Keels, Ryan Conwell and Myron Gardner all carry that target, two days before the preseason opener at Toronto.

Heat Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Same Target Date

Antetokounmpo (left knee), Adebayo (back), Keels (right knee), Conwell (hip) and Gardner (left ankle) are each listed with an estimated return of October 1, two days ahead of the preseason opener at Toronto on October 3. Camp reps lost now don't come back.

Camp Calendar

Miami's preseason runs four games: at Toronto on October 3 (NBA TV), then home dates against New Orleans on October 8, Minnesota on October 10 and Brooklyn on October 14. The regular season opens October 21 against Minnesota on ESPN, a second look at the same opponent before it counts.

Fontecchio's Case

Simone Fontecchio shot 70.8 percent true shooting over his final ten games last season, a number the season average hides. It's a small sample, but it's the kind of efficiency Spoelstra can lean on off the bench once camp clears.

Health Before Games

Camp was already thin on healthy bodies; five projected returns clustered on one date is either good scheduling or plain coincidence. Either way, no preseason snap counts until Antetokounmpo and Adebayo are full, contact participants, not just cleared for conditioning drills.

When do the Miami Heat play their first game?

Miami opens the preseason October 3 at Toronto, then plays three more exhibition games before the regular season starts October 21 against Minnesota.

Are Antetokounmpo and Adebayo hurt?

Both carry listed issues, a left knee for Antetokounmpo and a back issue for Adebayo, with an estimated return date of October 1, ahead of the preseason opener.

By the Heat Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

More from The Biscayne Brief

all Heat news →
The big question · Sun, Sep 20Giannis And Adebayo Must Learn To Share The FloorFrom the archives · Sun, Sep 20Miami's Banners Outnumber This Roster's WinsMorning · Sun, Sep 20Heat Camp Demands Answers, Starting With ConditioningAround the beat · Sat, Sep 19Heat Lock Up Larsson, Leave Jović TwistingBy the numbers · Sat, Sep 19Numbers Expose Miami's Tax-Line GambleMorning · Sat, Sep 19Heat Extend Larsson As Camp Opens Five Bodies Short