Davion Mitchell says the Heat got ‘a little bit lazy’ on defense against Brooklyn: ‘We thought we can just outscore them’

MIAMI — Oct. 15, 2026 — Davion Mitchell needed six stitches above his right eye on Wednesday night and still went back into a preseason game. When it was over, the Heat’s starting point guard was more bothered by Miami’s defense than by the cut.

“I just thought we was a little bit lazy,” Mitchell said after the 144-128 win over Brooklyn at Kaseya Center. “I think that we thought we can just outscore them, and I think that was kind of our mindset.”

Mitchell finished with 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, made all four of his free throws and added four assists and two steals in 24 minutes. Miami shot 59 percent and scored 62 points in the paint, but Brooklyn scored 66 in the first half and trailed only 69-66 at the break.

‘We wasn’t getting back’

Mitchell said the trouble started after Miami scored. “We wasn’t getting back. We would score and they would get like an easy shot,” he said. “I think we knew that we can score any time we wanted. So I think we was a little bit lazy, and we can’t do that.” He said the offense will not always be there to cover for it. “There’s gonna be better defensive teams. We’re not gonna shoot the ball well that night,” he said. “So we got to hang our hat on our defense.”

Asked what has to improve in the week before opening night, he went to the glass, not the scheme. “I think rebounding,” Mitchell said. He pointed to the Oct. 8 win over New Orleans as well as Wednesday’s game. “We would get stops, but they get rebounds and they get second-chance points, and you give teams confidence like that when they see one open shot go in.” Brooklyn grabbed 12 offensive rebounds. “I don’t think it’s like an X’s and O’s thing, or we can’t guard,” he said. “That’s something that we can watch film and correct.”

Free throws first, then stitches

Mitchell was cut on a drive early in the second half. He was told that if he wanted to stay in the game, he had to shoot his own free throws, so he did that before going back for stitches. “Everyone know I just love the game, and I just wanted to play. I just wanted to be out there,” he said. “You kind of don’t take these moments for granted. And I know if I could play, I’m gonna go out there and play, so it wasn’t really a hard decision for me.” He came back later in the game and hit a three.

Getting into the paint early

Asked whether he pushes the pace even harder in the first few minutes to set the tone, Mitchell said that is the plan. “Yeah, for sure, ’cause that’s the way we play,” he said. “If I can get just a one-on-one, for the most part I’m getting in the paint, and I’m gonna make the right play. … I just try to get into the paint when the defense is not ready. That’s kind of my goal.” Miami outscored Brooklyn 20-6 on fast breaks.

Playing next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 20 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, mostly means staying out of his way. “He’s gonna really figure it out,” Mitchell said. “But we just try to give him as much space as we can, move without the ball, because he’s also a really good passer. He’s gonna find you on the open cuts, because people are trying to build the wall, so you can cut behind him. He’s gonna find you an open three. Even sometimes you don’t even know that you’re open.” His summary: “He just needs two dribbles and he’s dunking the ball.” Antetokounmpo, for his part, called Mitchell “incredible” and said Miami’s pace drops when he sits.

‘Adapting better than I was’

Mitchell has spent time with Miami’s rookies, and he was asked about Ryan Conwell, who scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, made three of his four threes and was plus-23 in 24 minutes. “He’s adapting well. I mean, he’s adapting better than I was when I was a rookie,” Mitchell said. “He’s mature. He’s poised throughout the whole game.” He was getting stitched up during part of Conwell’s run. “I didn’t even get to see the threes that he hit, but I’ve seen it on Instagram,” he said. “Him shooting the ball, him being confident, him being aggressive — that’s what we need him to do.”

Why it matters

Erik Spoelstra also said after the game that Miami’s pick-and-roll defense was poor in the first half. Mitchell’s point is a little different. The Heat want to run around Antetokounmpo, and they can only run after a defensive rebound. Miami closes the preseason Friday at Orlando at 7 p.m. ET (2 a.m. Saturday in Cairo) and opens the regular season Wednesday, Oct. 21, against Minnesota.