<\/p>\n
Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) participates in his team\u2019s season-ending exit interviews at Kaseya Center on April 16, 2026, in Miami.<\/p>\n
Photo by Matias J. Ocner<\/p>\n
mocner@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS<\/p>\n
Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell is not wasting any time.<\/p>\n
Mitchell wants to build chemistry with his new Heat teammate, so he\u2019s traveling all the way to Greece to do it. Mitchell will arrive in Greece on July 19 and spend a week to work out and start building a relationship with two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo in Antetokounmpo\u2019s home country.<\/p>\n
\u201cImmediately after I found out [about the trade], I got his number and I texted him,\u201d Mitchell said this week while in Las Vegas to take in summer league and connect with Heat coaches. \u201cObviously, during the summer, people will move around. So, I\u2019ll just go where he\u2019s at because I\u2019m already going to be over there anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s offseason schedule already had him in Spain in mid-July for the National Basketball Players Association\u2019s \u201cThe Sanctuary\u201d performance retreat and summit, so he\u2019ll just make the short flight to meet Antetokounmpo in Greece from there.<\/p>\n
Mitchell and Antetokounmpo \u201ckind of knew each other\u201d before this offseason\u2019s trade because they were both once represented by Octagon. Mitchell has since changed agents.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually asked him, \u2018Yo, what are you doing in the summer? I\u2019m honestly trying to work with you and build some chemistry,\u2019\u201d Mitchell recalled from his conversation with Antetokounmpo that led to the plan to spend time together in Greece later this month. \u201cHe was like, \u2018Do you ever go to Europe?\u2019 And I was like, \u2018actually, I\u2019m coming to Europe.\u2019 He said, \u2018All right, well, what are you doing from these days?\u2019 I told him and he said, \u2018All right, then, you can pull up to Greece if you want.\u2019 Immediately, I said, \u2018I\u2019m there.\u2019 So, I\u2019ll pull up there, and we\u2019re going to work out. It\u2019s going to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell believes this upcoming season will be fun, too, after the Heat\u2019s offseason addition of Antetokounmpo. Miami, which missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2019, traded guard Tyler Herro, forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., guard Kasparas Jakucionis, center Kel\u2019el Ware and a haul of draft capital to the Milwaukee Bucks to acquire Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis this summer.<\/p>\n
Mitchell, who is a defensive-minded guard, envisions a Heat defense led by six-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection Bam Adebayo and a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year in Antetokounmpo that will be \u201creally scary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we have a defensive-minded team, which is really good,\u201d Mitchell, 27, said. \u201cBecause I think offense, we\u2019ll learn. The chemistry is going to have to get there. And people expect our offense isn\u2019t going to be like that. But we were the No. 1-ranked scoring offense last year without Giannis. So, you add Giannis, that\u2019s like 10x. So, people don\u2019t understand. I think a lot of people just look at numbers and what somebody shot here, what somebody shot here. And it\u2019s like, when you play with different people, your game is going to change. You\u2019re going to have different roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cBam is going to get a lot of catch-and-shoots. I\u2019m going to get a lot of catch-and-shoots. Everyone\u2019s going to get a lot because of how much [Antetokounmpo] brings to the court and how much gravity he brings. So, I think the percentages are going to look better because we\u2019re going to get more wide open shots instead of, like, we\u2019ve got to create our shot. Throughout the game, obviously, you get open shots. But with him, there\u2019s going to be so many open shots that people don\u2019t understand that. But, they\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell has adjusted his offseason workouts to prepare for those open catch-and-shoot opportunities created by Antetokounmpo\u2019s drives to the basket.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kind of got to change your workouts a little bit in a way,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cYou got to try to master this role. And I know I\u2019m going to get a lot of catch-and-shoots, so I\u2019ve really been working on catch-and-shoots. But not just regular catch and shoots. Just a lot of off-rhythm. There are a lot of things I\u2019m working on.\u201d<\/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
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
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 last season. So, he made it a priority to shed weight and get in better shape to return to his previous form.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting in shape so I can become better defensively,\u201d said Mitchell, who will be on an expiring contract that will pay him $12.4 million this upcoming season. \u201cI think I\u2019ve lost a lot of pounds. Honestly, I don\u2019t know how many. I just don\u2019t ask, but I know I lost a lot, for sure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was really the main goal, getting in shape, losing a lot of weight. And I\u2019m doing a really good job of that. And the good thing is, it\u2019s still not even close to the season. So I\u2019ve got so much work to do, and that\u2019s what I love about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s slimmer physique has also led to him throwing down dunks during workouts this offseason, which he has made sure to post videos of on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, a lot of people see me on Twitter, I\u2019m dunking real easy now,\u201d the 6-foot Mitchell said with a smile. \u201cJust trying to get back to that athleticism. I think I had a lot of muscle and a lot of weight on me, and it was kind of hard for me to move. I can still move, obviously, but now I think I\u2019m just moving a lot faster, more fluid, and I feel more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s last in-game dunk came during the 2022-23 season as a member of the Sacramento Kings. Are more dunks coming for Mitchell this upcoming season?<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, yeah, yeah, 1000%,\u201d he said. \u201cI ain\u2019t doing all this work for nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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