Meyers Leonard entering first season with Heat: ‘This is the best I’ve felt on the floor.’
Meyers Leonard’s final game with the Trail Blazers was one of his best, finishing with a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds in a season-ending overtime playoff loss to the Warriors in May.
The new Heat big man, who was acquired this offseason as part of the four-team Jimmy Butler trade, is hoping that momentum carries over into his first season in Miami.
“In Portland, it was kind of a long process for me to continue to improve, understand myself as a man and as a player,” Leonard said, wearing a Heat “Culture” T-shirt as he spoke to reporters Wednesday in front of the Heat locker room at AmericanAirlines Arena. “And over the last couple of seasons, I’ve really felt that I’ve slowly come into my own. And that’s a lot of credit to the offseasons and also what I did in Portland with the staff there. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned a lot how to impact the game. To be honest, this is the best I’ve felt on the floor.”
Leonard, 27, averaged 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 54.5 percent from the field in 14.4 minutes in 61 games with the Trail Blazers last season. He has averaged 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in his seven NBA seasons, starting two games in each of the past two seasons and 42 in his seven seasons with the Blazers.
But at 7-1 and 255 pounds, one of the most unique aspects of Leonard’s skill set is his ability to make threes. He shot 45 percent on threes (50 for 111) last season and is a career 38.5 percent three-point shooter, a skill the Heat values in its power rotation players.
With Heat coach Erik Spoelstra known to encourage his shooters to be aggressive from the three-point line, Leonard feels he’s ready to make the outside shot an even bigger part of his game. He attempted a career-high 228 threes in 2015-16.
“I’m going to do what’s asked of me. If I’m open, I’m going to shoot it,” Leonard said, with the Heat opening training camp Tuesday at Keiser University in West Palm Beach. “That’s one thing I feel that, particularly last year, I started to do a better job of is take more contested shots. When I was in Portland, a lot of my focus, of course everybody wants to make every shot, but I was also thinking if I hit [Damian Lillard] and set a good screen, now I get our best scorer a good look. But here, I feel that I’ve really expanded my game. I can get my shot off quicker.”
Leonard said in offseason workouts, Heat coaches have emphasized spacing the floor while keeping opponents off balance with his ability to make plays out of the dribble hand-off and other spots on the court.
What the future holds for Leonard is unclear, though. He’s expected to play off the bench, like he did for most of his time in Portland, with Bam Adebayo, Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson also part of Heat’s frontcourt rotation.
But Leonard, who is due $11.3 million this season, is entering the final year of his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.
“I have no experience when it comes to an expiring contract,” he said. “All I know is if I’m here, I’m ready to impact winning and it’s as simple as that. I’m going to bust my tail every day. I’m going to be a great teammate, a great person. I think you guys will get to know me pretty well, a fun-loving guy. And I’m just ready to rock and roll.”
