Portis Shows Up Lighter, Giannis Takes Notice

By the Heat Nightly Desk · Thursday, October 1

Bobby Portis arrived at camp 19 pounds lighter than last season, and Hot Hot Hoops reported Giannis Antetokounmpo already sees another level in him for Miami's frontcourt. The Heat also named Gale Nelson their new public address announcer, one of the few settled items as the preseason opener in Toronto approaches.

Heat Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Portis Reports Lighter

Hot Hot Hoops reported Bobby Portis shed 19 pounds before arriving at Heat camp, and that Giannis Antetokounmpo already sees another level for him in Miami's frontcourt rotation. Spoelstra has not commented publicly on a revised role for Portis, so the weight loss is still a data point, not a lineup decision.

A Quiet Hire

Hot Hot Hoops also reported the Heat have named Gale Nelson their new public address announcer, a small change inside Kaseya Center. It is the kind of housekeeping move that fills a slow stretch of camp before real basketball starts.

Preseason Clock Starts

Miami opens its preseason slate October 3 at Toronto (NBA TV), with three home dates to follow: New Orleans on Oct. 8, Minnesota on Oct. 10 and Brooklyn on Oct. 14. The regular season begins October 21 against Minnesota, broadcast on ESPN.

Two Names On The Report

Ryan Conwell carries a hip injury and is tagged day-to-day. Myron Gardner carries a left ankle injury, also day-to-day. Both have return dates of October 1 — today.

Bottom Line

None of this moves the record off 0-0, and nothing here replaces minutes against Toronto on Saturday. Portis's conditioning and the camp's new names mean little until Spoelstra starts trusting them in October.

When does the Heat preseason start?

Miami opens the preseason October 3 at Toronto, airing on NBA TV.

When is the Heat's regular season opener?

The Heat open the regular season October 21 at home against Minnesota, broadcast on ESPN.