MIAMI — Yes, perspective is paramount during this portion of the NBA calendar. So the 18 points and six rebounds by second-year Heat center Vlad Goldin in Saturday night’s preseason loss to the Timberwolves have to be considered in the context.

Neither teams’ opening-night starters played. The talent on the floor by the finish was closer to what Goldin experienced last season in the G League than what he aspires to in the NBA. Oh, and the game didn’t count.

Still, anything on the plus side of the ledger stands as an overall plus for the former Florida Atlantic University Final Four big man. Such is life on a two-way contract, when nothing is guaranteed, with such deals able to subbed out at any time, the salary not counting against the cap.

So making coach Erik Spoelstra notice mattered.

The goal entering camp, Spoelstra said, was seeing if Goldin, at a somewhat lumbering 7 feet, 255 pounds, could catch up to the speed of the game.

“The G League helped him last year because that’s even faster than our league,” Spoelstra said of the center who went undrafted in 2025 out of Michigan. “They play smaller and faster, a lot of guards. It’s the changing of possessions.

“Because he has the size. When he’s around the basket, he does good things.”

As he did on Saturday night, closing 7 of 10 from the field, his 3-point play with 14.8 seconds to play giving the Heat their final lead in the 125-124 loss.

“It’s been a matter of him keeping up with the speed of the game,” Spoelstra said. “When he gets quick and gets up and down, he’s really worked at it. His conditioning is great, but it’s the synapse change of getting onto the next possession.”

Goldin is well aware of the stakes of the moment. Should the Heat choose to retain veteran center Nick Richards on their standard roster — he has an opening-night guarantee — then having an additional big man such as Goldin on a two-way contract might not be viewed as necessary.

At the moment, the Heat have all three of their allowable two-way spots filled, when counting Goldin, undrafted University of Miami guard Tre Donaldson and forward Keshad Johnson, who previously had been on a standard deal. If Goldin is not retained, it would open the door for the Heat to elevate one of their tryout players or sign a two-way player from another team at the NBA’s Oct. 19 roster cutdown deadline.

Two-way players earn half the NBA veteran minimum salary and are eligible to be on the active roster for up to 50 games, ineligible for the playoffs. Goldin last season appeared in nine games for the Heat and 24 for the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Goldin said he entered his second NBA preseason with a greater sense of clarity.

“I think this year gives me a lot more just because now I understand how everything works inside and what’s the expectations, how it’s supposed to look,” he said. “So I think just taking a lot of mental stress off is very helpful.

“When you know everything, when you know the system, how it’s supposed to play, it’s way less talking, way more reps. And it’s something that we, as basketball players, we always chase, we chase reps.”

And, now, Goldin recognizes it also has to be about chasing shots on the defensive end.

“I try to take pride as a rim protector,” he said. “I know sometimes it doesn’t look like it, but I do contest everything. As a center, as a five, you have to contest everything, even if it’s a little bit dangerous. That’s what we’re here for.”

What he accepts that he can’t afford is to be viewed as a lumbering big man, not with the Heat about pace and not plodding.

“Something that I always can improve is footwork, just being a little bit faster,” he acknowledged. “Obviously with today’s game, everybody is talking about pace, how fast they want to run. So it’s something that I’m trying to improve.”

So, in his own way, it has been an offseason about being off to the races.

“You’ve got to run,” he said. “You’ve got to spend a lot of time in the weight room. You’ve got to spend a lot of time on the court, and it’s just about time.”

With time possibly growing short, as roster decisions loom ahead of the Heat’s Oct. 21 regular-season opener against the visiting Timberwolves.

But what can’t be lost, teammate Nikola Jovic said, is the journey just to get to this point, Goldin having moved from Russia to a prep academy in Connecticut as a teenager and then on to collegiate seasons at Texas Tech, FAU and Michigan, with limited ability to recharge back home.

“He’s been through a lot in college situations where he can’t go back home and stuff like that,” Jovic said, with the Heat next turning their attention to Wednesday night’s exhibition against the Brooklyn Nets at Kaseya Center. “I always felt like trying to help him as much as I can. It’s great seeing him do good.”

Heat two-way contracts over the years:

Current: Vlad Goldin, Tre Donaldson, Keshad Johnson.

2025-26: Goldin, Jahmir Young, Trevor Keels, Myron Gardner

2024-25: Johnson, Josh Christopher, Dru Smith, Isaiah Stevens.

2023-24: Jamal Cain, RJ Hampton, Alondes Williams, Cole Swider.

2022-23: Javonte Smart, Mychal Mulder, Orlando Robinson, Cain.

2021-22: Marcus Garrett, Caleb Martin, Kyle Guy, Smart, Mulder.

2020-21: Gabe Vincent, Max Strus.

2019-20: Chris Silva, Daryl Macon, Vincent, Kyle Alexander.

2018-19: Duncan Robinson, Yante Maten.

2017-18: Derrick Walton Jr., Matt Williams Jr., Derrick Jones Jr.