![\"Miami](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MIA_7_Heat_Exit_Interviews_MJO.JPG\" "\\"Miami")
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Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) participates in his team\u2019s season-ending exit interviews at the Kaseya Center on April 16, 2026, in Miami.<\/p>\n
Photo by Matias J. Ocner<\/p>\n
mocner@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
If there was any question about what the Miami Heat thinks about guard Davion Mitchell, Heat president Pat Riley answered it.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavion Mitchell, give me that guy any day of the week,\u201d Riley said last month during his season-ending news conference. \u201cIf you made him 6-10, he\u2019s All-NBA. He\u2019s a great defender, he\u2019s a high-character guy. He\u2019s competitive, what a battler.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell stands just 6 feet and received no All-NBA votes, but he still continued to leave a strong impression on Heat coaches and executives this past season.<\/p>\n
As the Heat\u2019s starting point guard, Mitchell averaged 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists and one steal per game while shooting 49% from the field and 39.5% from three-point range in his first full season with the team after being traded to Miami as part of the Jimmy Butler trade in February 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think obviously coming out of college, I feel like I was always a point guard,\u201d said Mitchell, who was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 9 overall pick in 2021. \u201cAnd when I got thrown into Sacramento, having two point guards [De\u2019Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton], kind of learning from them, I wasn\u2019t really the point guard on the team. I was kind of just a guy that would just give energy. That\u2019s how I didn\u2019t really get to play my position.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut playing here, obviously, this year, I got to kind of just be a point guard, get to kind of be a leader, get the team going, get our pace up. Just kind of being that type of guy. I think I learned that over the years of probably being in Sacramento, watching Tyrese, watching De\u2019Aaron, obviously those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) dribbles the ball down the court during the first half of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 30, 2026, at Kaseya Center in Miami. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Mitchell posted an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.2 this past season. Among the 179 players around the NBA who played in at least 65 games this regular season, Mitchell finished with the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio while serving as one of the engines of the Heat\u2019s fast-paced offensive attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just try to make the right play every time,\u201d Mitchell, 27, said. \u201cAlso, I don\u2019t do well if I turn the ball over. If I turn the ball over, I know what I need to work on. I know what I need to do next time. But for me, I just try to make the right play. Shout out to the coaches because they made it so easy for me just to be myself that I didn\u2019t have to think too much. I can just go out there and just play.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Mitchell, who has earned the nickname \u201cOff Night\u201d for his ability to shut down the opponent\u2019s top scorers, wasn\u2019t satisfied with his play on defense end this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like last year I was more disruptive than I was this year,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cI think a lot of times it also comes with the pace that we\u2019re playing at. I got to know going into the summer, I got to get more in shape. Because you can\u2019t play on one of the fastest teams and also try to be a good defender if you\u2019re not in shape. It\u2019s just not going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
So one of Mitchell\u2019s goals this offseason is to get in better shape to maintain his high-level defensive play while also helping run the Heat\u2019s fast-paced offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing into the summer, that\u2019s how I got to know things I need to work on,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cKind of just get more in shape. Kind of just be able to still be a disruptive defensive player, but also be able to pick up the pace when I need to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell is already locked into a $12.4 million salary with the Heat for next season, but there\u2019s plenty of uncertainty surrounding the Heat\u2019s roster. The Heat is expected to be among the most aggressive teams in pursuit of Milwaukee Bucks two-time NBA MVP and nine-time All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.<\/p>\n
But one thing is for sure: The Heat values Mitchell and his skill set.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been one of our most important guys that\u2019s kind of been under the radar,\u201d Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. \u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of big factors to us winning versus losing. But in the games that he missed, it definitely changed the look of how we play. I just think he\u2019s an elite on-ball defender. And he\u2019s fully embracing everything in our system. So it\u2019s giving him an opportunity to be seen in this league as a competitor.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s not even talking about his offense. He\u2019s in many ways the engine of when we run, and we\u2019re at our best and in our pace. Oftentimes it\u2019s him, the one that\u2019s igniting it and pitching the ball ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
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