MIAMI – With the focus around the Miami Heat centering on Giannis Antetokounmpo's comfort with his new team, others on the roster are looking to carve out a bigger role in the rotation. As Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo lead the way for the Heat, the team's second unit and bench will be vital this season, with one player that should be on everyone's radar being Myron Gardner.

Gardner enters his second season in the NBA after a rookie season that showcased a relentless energy that fits the famed “Heat Culture,” despite the limited minutes played. Last season, he averaged 9.1 minutes while recording 3.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and one assist per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three-point range.

Miami's coaching staff would see enough in Gardner in his rookie season to convert him from a two-way contract to a standard deal in February.

Heat's Erik Spoelstra described Myron Gardner's “uncommon energy”

Whether he played nine or 19 minutes, he personifies the expression of giving 110 percent in every play, displaying defensive intensity and even a strength in getting the opposing team agitated.

In Miami's 128-118 preseason win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, Gardner came into the game and from the get-go was a sparkplug. The 25-year-old contributed 11 points (all in the fourth quarter) on three of six shooting from the field, three of five from deep, to go along with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Speaking to the media before Saturday's preseason matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, head coach Erik Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints that Gardner “brings a level of uncommon energy.” While that type of intensity is beneficial to the Heat, even Spoelstra would say that it needs “some structure and some discipline.”

“This off-season was really about trying to give that competitive energy some structure and some discipline to it. A little bit of a setback with the sprained ankle, but he's been working very dedicatedly in the building behind the scenes, and what I liked was he had kind of an uneven training camp, practice before the game. He was struggling with some things, but then he bounced back and played great in the fourth quarter.”

“And my point about that to him was that that's what the league is, particularly for a young player trying to break through is there's going to be more frustrating times or things where it feels like a setback, and you have to develop that fortitude just to continue to try to come back and learn from it, and have a great day the next day,” Spoelstra continued.

Asked Erik Spoelstra about Myron Gardner’s impact and what he’s seen from him currently. #Heat

“He brings a level of uncommon energy and intensity. This off season was really about trying to give that competitive energy some structure and some discipline to it…” pic.twitter.com/GNdBb92fSa

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 10, 2026

Heat's Myron Gardner got into a spat with Klay Thompson last season

Going back to the point of Gardner agitating opposing players and that type of energy needing discipline, as Spoelstra said, two moments come to mind, with the first being an altercation he had with Memphis Grizzlies' Scottie Pippen Jr. back in February. Gardner would be fined and ejected from the Feb. 21 game after a back-and-forth with Pippen, but the second situation was one that turned out to be very ironic.

Scotty Pippen Jr. and Myron Gardner were both ejected for this altercation. pic.twitter.com/3q2Sy5SMrb

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 22, 2026

In a Nov. 25, 2025 game for Miami against the Dallas Mavericks, Gardner would shout out phrases like “bum” and “trash” towards Klay Thompson, which came from the bench as he didn't play in the contest. After the game, Heat assistant coach Caron Butler brought Gardner over to the Mavericks bench to clear the air with Thompson. Fast forward under a year later and the two are teammates.

In speaking with the media, the two have praised each other, with Thompson poking fun at Gardner, saying during the team's media day on Sept. 30 that it's “equal” of his now-teammate being more annoying as a teammate or opponent.

After Klay Thompson and Myron Gardner were chirping and were given technical fouls, assistant coach Caron Butler took Gardner to the tunnel to apologize and give Klay his respect.

This is awesome. pic.twitter.com/v4mcYzxw0R

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 26, 2025

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Heat's Bam Adebayo has an interesting comparison for Myron Gardner

With Gardner hoping to see a bigger role in the rotation, there's no denying that the Heat always needs a player that can energize a team in a future rut. Bam Adebayo would echo the same sentiments, also saying the team will “have to calm him down sometimes because he can cross that line.”

“I think Myron is just like…we call him our Malinois. I don't know if y'all are familiar with dogs, but Malinois are the ones with all the energy that'll run through a brick wall, run up a wall, and that's Myron for us,” Adebayo said Thursday. “Now we have to calm him down sometimes because he can cross that line. But you're talking about a kid from the inner city of Detroit trying to make it, and that's what we love about Myron.”

“He plays hard every single time he steps on the floor, and that can spark a game like it did out there,” Adebayo continued. “Myron's, you know, he's one of those undrafted underdogs trying to make it, and you know, I feel like every time he steps on the court, we all feel his energy. He's always doing something impactful. Like I said, sometimes it goes sideways, but the kid's not scared of anything. He's fearless, and he wants the moment. So yeah, he changed that energy of the fourth quarter.”

At any rate, it remains to be seen how involved Gardner will be for Miami this upcoming season.