Here are 10 Heat questions waiting to be answered entering training camp
As the Heat prepares to begin training camp Tuesday at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, there are questions waiting to be answered.
Those answers will soon come, with the preseason opener set for Oct. 8 and the regular-season opener set for Oct. 23.
But for now, we are left wondering how newcomers will fit in, what the rotation will look like and if returning players can be more than what they were last season? Those are just some of the questions surrounding the Heat’s roster entering training camp.
1. How will four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler fit in after joining the Heat this summer?
To Heat culture? It looks like he’s already fitting in, showing up to the practice court at 4 a.m. for workouts. Basketball fit? It seems like Butler is exactly what the Heat was looking for, an alpha who is right in the middle of his prime and is considered one of the best two-way players in the NBA. But it will be interesting to see just how players and coaches react to Butler’s relentless competitive drive over the course of a full season.
2. Will Dion Waiters have a bounceback season and remain healthy?
It has certainly been a productive summer for Waiters, who returned from ankle surgery midway through last season. He looks to be in tip-top shape after Heat president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra challenged the 27-year-old guard at the start of the offseason to report to training camp at a lower weight and body fat percentage. Mission accomplished. Now the question is, how will it translate to the basketball court? The Heat is looking for a second offensive option to pair with Butler, and Waiters has the skill set to fill that role if he’s right.
3. Is Bam Adebayo ready to take on the responsibility of playing as the Heat’s starting center?
There are high expectations for Adebayo this season. Those expectations have been set from those within and outside the organization, and Adebayo said he’s prepared to take on more responsibility. Adebayo, 22, is pretty much a lock to begin the season as the Heat’s starting center after Hassan Whiteside was traded to the Trail Blazers this summer. Adebayo started in 22 of the Heat’s final 23 games last season, but he has never started more than 28 games in a single NBA season. So this full-time starting role will be new for him.
4. Will the Heat miss the players it lost this offseason more than expected?
The departures include Josh Richardson, Whiteside and Dwyane Wade. Richardson was dealt to the 76ers and Whiteside was dealt to the Trail Blazers as part of the four-team Butler trade, and Wade retired. All three were used in significant roles last season. Richardson led the Heat in scoring and minutes played, Whiteside led the Heat in rebounds and blocks, and Wade is Wade. The question is, does the addition of Butler and the return of a healthy Dragic and Waiters trump all of that?
5. How will the Goran Dragic-Justise Winslow situation play out?
When healthy, Dragic has been the starting point guard for almost his entire Heat tenure. But Winslow flourished as the starting point guard while Dragic was out with a knee injury last season. Dragic is 33 and Winslow is 23. Dragic is on an expiring contract and Winslow is entering the first season of a three-year extension. Will a decision between the two even need to be made or will they start together? The versatile Winslow made it clear he wants to play as a point guard, and Dragic is a point guard. As two of the most talented players on the roster, it will be interesting to see how Spoelstra can maximize both of their skill sets.
6. What will the Heat’s rotation look like?
If you know how Spoelstra works, you know there probably isn’t going to be a fixed rotation. Spoelstra tinkers with his rotation throughout the season based on who’s playing well, who’s not and the opponent. But let’s look at the players who are expected to be a consistent part of Miami’s rotation this season. Adebayo, Butler, Dragic, James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, Waiters and Winslow make that cut for me. That’s seven players. Then throw in the next likeliest candidates, Derrick Jones Jr. and Tyler Herro, and that’s nine. It could be as simple as that. But with players such as Meyers Leonard and Kendrick Nunn also vying for minutes, it probably won’t be that simple.
7. Can the Heat be an above-average offensive team?
Let’s define above average as finishing the season within the top 15 in offensive rating. The Heat was far from that last season. Miami was below average in almost every offensive category — 26th in points (105.7), 22nd in shooting percentage (45), 21st in three-point shooting percentage (34.9), 30th in free-throw percentage (69.5), 23rd in turnovers (14.7) and 26th in offensive rating (106.7 points per 100 possessions). The addition of Butler should help fix some of those issues, but it’s going to take a drastic improvement to get within the top 15. On the bright side, the Heat posted the seventh-best defensive rating in the league last season.
8. Is there a competition to watch during training camp and the preseason?
Well, the Heat’s regular-season roster is likely set with 14 players barring a trade because of its position against the NBA hard cap — Butler, Dragic, Johnson, Olynyk, Winslow, Waiters, Leonard, Herro, Adebayo, Udonis Haslem, Jones, Duncan Robinson, Nunn and KZ Okpala. But both of Miami’s two-way contract spots are still empty. The competition to watch is the one over those two-way deals. Forwards Kyle Alexander and Chris Silva, and guards Daryl Macon, Mychal Mulder, Davon Reed and Jeremiah Martin will compete during training camp for a two-way contract from the Heat. All six signed Exhibit 10 deals with the Heat this summer and are currently the only players on the roster eligible for a two-way contract. Miami doesn’t necessarily have to use its two-way deals on this group of players, though. The Heat could also look elsewhere at a player who is currently not within the organization.
9. What role will the Heat’s two 2019 draft picks have?
Herro, who was taken with the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, is going to have a real shot at earning a spot in the Heat’s rotation as a rookie. Shooting is the skill that will earn him immediate playing time. With the loss of Wayne Ellington, Tyler Johnson and Richardson, the Heat needs shooting, and Herro could provide that. As far as Okpala, the Heat’s second-round pick, history indicates the G League could be part of the plan for him this season if he’s not getting consistent NBA playing time.
10. Will a healthy James Johnson mean a more impactful James Johnson?
Johnson, 32, has yet to replicate the impressive stretch he put together at the end of 2016-17, which helped earn him his current four-year deal. Whether it’s because of injuries, role or just a natural decline because of age, Johnson’s productivity has dipped as his athleticism and aggressiveness have also dropped off. The Heat hopes a full, healthy offseason will help the veteran forward return to 2016-17 form. If Johnson can get close to where he was two years ago (similar to the position Waiters is in) he will be a big part of the Heat’s attack.
