Meet the Miami Heat: A look at 2014-15 roster
A look at the Miami Heat’s lineup for the upcoming season:
NORRIS COLE
Position: Point guard
Age: 26
Height, weight: 6-2, 170
Season: Fourth
Inside scoop: Cole will begin the season as the team’s starting point guard. It’s a huge opportunity for Cole and it comes during a contract year.
Last season: 6.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.0 apg
Career: 6.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.4 apg
DWYANE WADE
Position: Shooting guard
Age: 32
Height, weight: 6-4, 212
Season: 12th
Inside scoop: Wade missed a third of season last year, which allowed him to remain relatively healthy for the start playoffs and have the most efficient season of his career (54.5 percent shooting). With LeBron James gone, Wade will have to play more minutes, and it’s unclear if his knees can handle the strain.
Last season: 19.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.7 apg
Career: 24.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 6.0 apg
LUOL DENG
Position: Small forward
Age: 29
Height, weight: 6-9, 220
Season: 11th
Inside scoop: Signing Deng was a major victory for the Heat in wake of LeBron leaving for the Cleveland. The two-way player is also a calming presence in the locker room. His professionalism will be valued this season.
Last season: 16.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.9 apg
Career: 16.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.5 apg
JOSH McROBERTS
Position: Power forward
Age: 27
Height, weight: 6-10, 240
Season: Eighth
Inside scoop: The Heat projects McRoberts as something of a “flex-four,” which is the position Boris Diaw played for the San Antonio Spurs last season. That’s all great in theory, but McRoberts must first return healthy from offseason surgery on his toe.
Last season: 8.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.3 apg
Career: 5.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.1 apg
CHRIS BOSH
Position: Center/forward
Age: 30
Height, weight: 6-10, 228
Season: 12th
Inside Scoop: Bosh is now the Heat’s franchise player, and he’ll need to lead the team in points and rebounds consistently to make up for the loss of LeBron James.
Last season: 16.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.1 apg
Career: 19.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.0 apg
MARIO CHALMERS
Position: Guard
Age: 28
Height, weight: 6-1, 190
Season: Seventh
Inside scoop: Chalmers will begin the season coming off the bench after starting at point guard for past three seasons. As the Heat’s Sixth Man, Chalmers will have less responsibility as a point guard and more opportunities to score.
Last season: 9.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.9 apg
Career: 8.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.8 apg
CHRIS ANDERSEN
Position: Center/forward
Age: 36
Height, weight: 6-10, 230
Season: 13th
Inside scoop: Birdman chose to make Miami his permanent home this offseason. His ability to bring energy off the bench makes him one of the team’s most important players.
Last season: 6.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.3 apg
Career: 5.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.5 apg
UDONIS HASLEM
Position: Forward/center
Age: 34
Height, weight: 6-8, 230
Season: 12th
Inside scoop: Haslem remains the team’s emotional center and co-captain, but his role on the team is a bit unclear to begin the season. He could start on some nights, or come off the bench or not play at all. Either way, his commitment team isn’t going to waver.
Last season: 3.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.3 apg
Career: 8.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 0.9 apg
DANNY GRANGER
Position: Forward
Age: 31
Height, weight: 6-8, 225
Season: 10th
Inside scoop: Granger is coming off of knee surgery and injuries have limited him the last three seasons. The Heat is hoping he can play himself into shape and fill the void of retired forward Shane Battier.
Last season: 8.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.0 apg
Career: 17.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.9 apg
SHAWNE WILLIAMS
Position: Forward
Age: 28
Height, weight: 6-9, 225
Season: Seventh
Inside scoop: Williams likely will be in the starting lineup to begin the season and remain there until Josh McRoberts is cleared to play. The former University of Memphis star dropped over 20 pounds.
Last season: 5.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.8 apg
Career: 5.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.7 apg
SHABAZZ NAPIER
Position: Point guard
Age: 23
Height, weight: 6-1, 180
Season: Rookie
Inside scoop: The college star from Connecticut has improved drastically since the beginning of summer league. Now he’ll need to adjust once again to the speed of regular-season games.
Last season (at Connecticut): 18.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.9 apg.
SHANNON BROWN
Position: Guard
Age: 28
Height, weight: 6-4, 205
Season: Ninth
Inside scoop: The Heat needs depth behind Dwyane Wade and Brown provides that. If Wade goes down with an injury, Brown could become a very important player for the team.
Last season: 2.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.3 apg
Career: 7.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.1 apg
JAMES ENNIS
Position: Guard/forward
Age: 24
Height, weight: 6-7, 210
Season: Rookie
Inside scoop: The Heat’s former second-round draft pick can score points in bunches, but his first season in the NBA will be a learning experience.
JUSTIN HAMILTON
Position: Center
Age: 24
Height, weight: 7-0, 260
Season: Rookie
Inside scoop: Hamilton is another former second-round pick for the Heat who represents a long-term investment. He averaged 19.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season in the D-League.
ANDRE DAWKINS
Position: Guard
Age: 23
Height, weight: 6-5, 215
Season: Rookie
Inside scoop: Another project player for the Heat. The former Duke player is probably the Heat’s best pure shooter, but that might not be enough to keep him on the team long term this season.
This story was originally published October 25, 2014 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Meet the Miami Heat: A look at 2014-15 roster."