UA-59049186-1 NBA Team Preview: Miami Heat - Good if it Goes
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NBA Team Preview: Miami Heat

Offseason:

Draft Picks: None

Key Acquisitions: SG. Dion Waiters, PF. Derrick Williams

Key Losses: SG. Dwyane Wade, PF. Chris Bosh, SF. Joe Johnson, SF. Luol Deng

Player Profiles

Projected Lineup

PG. Goran Dragic: 6’3, 190

  • Lefty ball dominant PG that can attack the defense and run the PnR well.
  • He’s very effective at getting to the basket and scoring and is a very good mid-range shooter. His 3-point shot comes and goes.
  • Poor defender that doesn’t have the quickness to stay with NBA PGs.

SG. Josh Richardson: 6’6, 197

  • Long, thin 2 guard that can play with or without the ball.
  • Can function as a spot up 3-point shooter or as a secondary playmaker who can handle the ball and find teammates.
  • Blossoming on-ball defender that brings tremendous energy and effort to the defensive end.

SF. Justice Winslow: 6’7, 225

  • Slashing, athletic wing with good size and tremendous defensive upside.
  • Struggled to shoot the ball as a rookie which was expected. He’s at his best when he can get to the basket right now.
  • Was a pretty good rookie defender at a tough position to defend. He has all the tools to be an elite defender.

PF. Luke Babbit: 6’9, 225

  • Offensive combo forward that shoots it well and only plays on 1 end.
  • Can shoot the ball from everywhere. Great 3 point shooter especially with his feet set and not bad from mid-range either.
  • Horrible defensive player with typical tweener problems. Doesn’t have the tools to defend at either forward spot.

C. Hassan Whiteside: 7’0, 265

  • Athletic big man that offers elite rim protection and rebounding.
  • Great PnR scorer due to his size and athleticism rolling to the basket. He’s also a very reliable mid-range shooter and is developing into a quality offensive player.
  • Elite defensive big whose only issue is his need to try and block every shot. Improved as a 1 on 1 post up defender and completely shuts down the path to the rim when he’s on the floor.

 

Bench

SG. Tyler Johnson: 6’4, 186

  • Crafty skilled combo guard that’s developing his on ball skills.
  • Efficient offensive player that can play with or without the ball. Can shoot the 3 but prefers to put it on the floor and get a higher percentage shot. He’s comfortable initiating the offense and running PnR and finding teammates.
  • Undersized below average defender that plays with effort and tries to execute the gameplan but he’s no match for superior talented players.

SG. Dion Waiters: 6’4, 225

  • Scoring combo guard that has underachieved up to this point.
  • Offensively he has shown flashes of a guy that can do it all. Capable of creating with the ball in his hands for himself or others. He can shoot the 3 and attack hard closeouts effectively.
  • Very inconsistent on defense but proved all throughout the playoffs the talent and ability to be a good defender is there.

SF. James Johnson: 6’9, 238

  • Huge wing with athleticism that can throw it down with authority.
  • Doesn’t shoot the ball well but he’s a pretty good slasher and is capable of isolating off the catch in space and beating his man to the basket.
  • Good defensive player that utilizes his size, strength and athleticism to his advantage.

C. Josh McRoberts: 6’10, 240

  • Finesse wing that hovers around the perimeter and elbows, his best trait is his passing.
  • Struggled to shoot the 3 last season after having success in previous seasons. If his 3 isn’t falling he’s best utilized in the mid-range high post area where he can utilize his gifts of passing and handling the ball to help facilitate the offense and keep the ball moving.
  • Gives adequate effort on the defensive end but just not an impact player. Doesn’t protect the rim and not the most difficult guy to score on down low.

PF. Derrick Williams: 6’8, 240

  • Thickly built athletic combo forward that can throw it down.
  • Slashes and dives to the basket hard and can hit mid-range shots.
  • Athletic but is short and struggles to contest in the paint despite his length. Big and strong but not a lateral athlete.

C. Udonis Haslem: 6’8, 235

  • Old, blue-collar veteran big man who’s being kept around more so for his leadership than his game at this point.
  • Offensively don’t expect much outside of the occasional mid-range shot attempt or dump off lay-up attempt at the rim.
  • Obviously not the defender he used to be but still a tough veteran presence in small spurts and can still really rebound on the defensive glass.

PG. Beno Udrih: 6’3, 205

  • Older, declining PG with good size, but no athleticism.
  • Offensively he just doesn’t have the juice to consistently initiate an offense anymore but he can still service as a spot up shooter.
  • Wasn’t a good defender in his prime years and obviously in no condition to deal with the top flight talent at PG in today’s game.

Breakdown

The Heat’s starting 5 and overall team will look drastically different from what it was a year ago. The starting 5 isn’t set in stone yet with the starting PF and SG positions in question but I’ll breakdown my projections and why I think it’ll end up going that way. In the front court Hassan Whiteside is a lock at center. He’s now the team’s best player as they look to move in a different direction without Wade and Bosh. He’s a dominating force on the defensive end and is becoming a pretty good offensive player to. 2nd year player Justice Winslow looks to go from a reserve role last year to the starting SF spot. He was considered by many to be the steal of his draft and will now need to prove it with the Heat having lost so many talented veterans. The starting PF spot most likely will come down to Luke Babbitt and Josh McRoberts. If McRoberts can restore confidence in his coaching staff that he can shoot more like he did in 2015 than he did last year he probably gets the job because he’s a slightly better defender and rebounder but if not Babbit is a lights out shooter and has been the majority of his career so far now I give him the edge to be the starting stretch 4 coach Spo wants. Goran Dragic returns as the starting PG and with Wade out of the picture should be allowed to handle the ball more and have more space to operate when he does being surrounded by SGs who can actually hit 3s. The biggest question mark for the Heat is who starts at SG? Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson both have good cases and even newly acquired Dion Waiters could get a look. But ultimately I think they go with Richardson because he’s the best defender and 3-point shooter of those 3.

The Heat’s bench has some guys that can contribute on it. My guess is Tyler Johnson is going to be the 6th man as he just inked the 4 year $50 million dollar contract. He’s a very skilled offensive combo guard that can play as a point or shooting guard and that versatility will come in handy on a team with no true backup PG worth playing on the roster. If Waiters can duplicate his play during the playoffs he’s going to get major minutes in the Heat’s rotation. He was a very good 2 way SG for the Thunder and though there’s no Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook here to take up most of the defense’s attention he still showed he has some game. Whether McRoberts starts or not he’s going to get playing time. I expect him to shoot a lot better this season and he’s 1 of the best facilitating bigs in the league. James Johnson should be able to provide an athletic boost off the bench with some exciting dunks here and there and when the team needs a veteran presence inside they can still turn to Haslem for a few minutes.

 

Expectations

Overall, I think the Heat are more talented right now than many people are giving them credit for but they’re still nowhere near ready to be a playoffs team. With so many young unproven players it’s hard to know what to make of this team. Dragic and Whiteside could be the only returning starters from last year and at the moment there is nobody on the team I trust with the ball in their hands in tough late game situations. Ultimate coach Spo is a good enough coach to have this team playing at whatever the highest level it’s capable of, but I just don’t think they have enough. It’s going to be a rebuilding year for Pat Riley’s Heat and that’s okay because paying Wade $25 mil a year over the next 2 years was only going to delay the inevitable and wasn’t going to help matters much in the short term either.

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