The Miami Heat are now under a month away from kicking off their 2026-27 season with several new faces, headlined by superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, in the mix. The Heat are hoping to take a big step forward this year after not having won a playoff game in two years, but it remains to be seen if the other big moves around the Eastern Conference this summer will keep them stagnant.

Recently, sports media personality Bill Simmons of The Ringer had a wild question about the Heat during a podcast appearance with NBA analyst Zach Lowe.

“Who's playing defense on this team?” wondered Simmons, per Heat Nation on X, formerly Twitter.

“Embarrassing take,” wrote one fan.

“LMAO certified Miami hater,” chimed in another.

While there are plenty of valid concerns about the Heat heading into this year, defense is certainly not one of them. Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are two of the best defensive big men in the game today, while Andrew Wiggins and Davian Mitchell are both elite ball-hawks on the perimeter, not to mention the fact that Erik Spoelstra is one of the best defensive minds in recent NBA history.

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Instead, Lowe pointed out concerns that actually do apply to the Heat this year.

“They have acquired a lot of shooting, but none of it is pull-up shooting really. I think they're going to struggle in that sense,” said Lowe.

Indeed, the Heat are severely lacking in perimeter players who can create their own shot, with Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. not providing much in that regard at this stage of their respective careers.

Still, it's hard to imagine what Simmons was thinking when defense was the first thing he turned to as a reason to doubt Miami this year.