Examining questions surrounding the Miami Heat entering Media Day and training camp
Almost exactly four months after the Miami Heat was swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat will formally begin its preparation for the 2021-22 season.
Media Day is Monday and the first training camp practice is Tuesday at FTX Arena.
There are new faces on the roster who will be expected to play important roles and returning players who will be expected to be better than they were last season.
Here’s a question each player on the Heat’s roster will need to answer this upcoming season:
▪ What will center Bam Adebayo add to his offensive game? He incorporated a reliable midrange jumper last season, making 42.4 percent (72 of 170) of those shots. The two obvious offensive areas where Adebayo could continue to improve are his outside shooting and post-up game. Adebayo finished last season 2 of 8 from three-point range and scored on 49.3 percent of his post-ups (ranked around the middle of the league).
▪ Will wing Jimmy Butler be available for most games? Because if last season is any indication, the Heat really needs him. Butler missed 20 games last season because of a combination of injuries and the league’s health and safety protocols, and the Heat finished just 7-13 in those games. Miami was 33-19 when Butler was available. The addition of veteran guard Kyle Lowry should help take some of the offensive load off Butler, who turned 32 on Sept. 14.
▪ Can center Dewayne Dedmon produce at the same level he did late last season after signing with the Heat in April? He took over as the Heat’s backup center shortly after he signed and provided much-needed quality minutes when starter Adebayo went to the bench. Those minutes had been a negative before the addition of Dedmon, but the Heat outscored opponents by 17.1 points with him on the court as the backup center after he arrived. Dedmon’s energy, touch around the rim and offensive rebounding helped the Heat. Dedmon, who again is expected to play as Adebayo’s backup, will be an important part of the bench rotation.
▪ Can two-way contract guard Marcus Garrett do enough on offense to play important minutes, if needed? Garrett, an undrafted rookie, should be able to help immediately on defense. He was named the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and finished as a finalist for the award last season at Kansas. But Garrett’s offensive game isn’t as far along as his defense. He made 30.2 percent of his threes during his four-year college career. As a two-way contract player, Garrett is allowed to be on the Heat’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games.
▪ Will this be team captain Udonis Haslem’s final NBA season? Haslem again delayed retirement to return to the Heat for a 19th season. Haslem, who turned 41 on June 9, signed a one-year deal at the NBA veteran minimum. Once he appears in a game in 2021-22, Haslem will become the 21st player in NBA history to play at least 19 seasons. The record is 22 seasons by Vince Carter. But Haslem does not play in many games at this stage of his career, instead contributing to the Heat with his leadership and mentorship skills. He has not yet announced whether he will play beyond this upcoming season.
▪ Will guard Tyler Herro take the step forward that most were hoping he would take last season? After a historically good playoff run in the bubble as a rookie, it was an up-and-down sophomore NBA season for Herro as he began the year in a starting role and was later moved to the bench. Herro, 21, is again expected to play off the bench as the Heat’s sixth man this season. But the hope is he will benefit from essentially his first full NBA offseason and return a more efficient offensive player. Herro also worked to add muscle this summer, in part, to become a more capable defender.
▪ How will Lowry fit alongside Adebayo and Butler? That’s the big question surrounding the addition of Lowry, who was voted into the All-Star Game in six of the past seven seasons. Lowry, 35, should fit quite well with Adebayo and Butler. He’ll help take some of the ball-handling and facilitating responsibilities off of Adebayo and Butler, and his three-point shooting will help create additional space for Adebayo and Butler around the basket. Lowry-Adebayo and Lowry-Butler pick-and-rolls will be fun, too. On the other end, Lowry’s on-ball defense will be helpful. The Heat will only go as far as the trio of Adebayo, Butler and Lowry takes it.
▪ Will wing Caleb Martin prove to be one of the best two-way contract players in the NBA? Martin, who turns 26 on Tuesday, is certainly one of the more experienced two-way contract players in the league after spending the past two seasons on the Charlotte Hornets’ 15-man roster. Two-way deals are usually reserved for undrafted rookies or those with very little NBA experience. Defense is the clear path to playing time for Martin. His combination of athleticism and size at 6-5 and 205 pounds makes him a versatile defender who will add to Miami’s impressive defensive mix. But offense, especially outside shooting, will determine how much Martin actually plays.
▪ Will forward Markieff Morris make enough threes to be an effective option for the Heat? The expectation is that veteran P.J. Tucker will start at power forward alongside center Adebayo, but Morris will also likely play extended minutes at the four spot as a reserve. To effectively play alongside the Heat’s centers — Adebayo and Dedmon — Morris will need to help space the floor with his three-point shooting. Morris has proven in the past that he can be an efficient three-point shooter but has battled inconsistency with his outside shot over his career. He shot 31.1 percent on threes with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, but made 38.6 percent of his shots from deep in 2019-20.
▪ Is this the season that forward KZ Okpala earns a consistent role in the Heat’s rotation? Okpala, who Miami traded three second-round picks to acquire on draft night in 2019, has played more minutes in the G League (572) than in the NBA (473) during the first two seasons of his professional career. While Okpala is a unique and talented versatile defender at 6-8 and 215 pounds, he has yet to find his place on offense. He averaged 2.4 points on 38.6 percent shooting from the field and 12-of-51 (23.5 percent) shooting on threes during his first two NBA seasons. Okpala already faces an uphill battle in finding consistent playing time this season after the Heat signed forwards Tucker and Morris in free agency.
▪ When will guard Victor Oladipo be available to play this season? Oladipo is not expected to be ready for the start of the season after undergoing surgery to repair the quadriceps tendon in his right knee on May 13. But there’s hope that he will be cleared to return to full contact basketball as early as November and be able to play in games by March. The addition of a potentially healthy Oladipo, who was voted to the All-Star Game, NBA All-Defensive First Team and All-NBA Third Team, and earned the NBA’s Most Improved Player award just a few seasons ago in 2017-18, could elevate the Heat to another level.
▪ Will sharpshooting forward Duncan Robinson continue his historic three-point pace? In his first two full NBA seasons, he has shot 42.7 percent from three-point range on 8.4 attempts per game. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is the only player in NBA history who has shot 42 percent or better from deep on eight or more three-point attempts per game during his career. Robinson, who signed a five-year contract worth $90 million this offseason to stay with the Heat, helps Miami’s offense function with his exceptional shooting.
▪ Will forward Max Strus have a bounce-back season from three-point range? As a two-way contract player with the Heat last season, he shot 33.8 percent on 3.8 three-point attempts per game. That’s not as efficient as expected and Strus even expressed disappointment with his three-point shooting at the end of last season. With the Heat signing him to a standard NBA contract this summer, Strus will be expected to move that percentage closer to 40 percent if he’s going to be a consistent member of the Heat’s rotation.
▪ Can Tucker fill the Jae Crowder role as an efficient and tough three-and-D small-ball four? Tucker, who is expected to start, certainly fits the mold and his past play indicates he can do some of what Crowder did for the Heat during its 2020 run to the NBA Finals. But Tucker is 36 and coming off one of his worst outside shooting seasons, as he made 33.6 percent of his threes last season — his lowest mark since he shot 33 percent from deep in 2015-16. The Heat hopes that’s just a one-year blip, as he previously established himself as one of the best corner three-point shooters in the NBA when he led the league in corner threes made for three consecutive seasons from 2017-20.
▪ Is Gabe Vincent ready to be the Heat’s backup point guard? Vincent, 25, spent the past two seasons as a two-way contract player for Miami, and he was promoted to a standard NBA contract this offseason. Now, he could be asked to play important minutes for the Heat. Even after the addition of point guard Kyle Lowry in free agency, there will still be an opportunity for Vincent to get playing time behind Lowry. The Heat lost guard Kendrick Nunn in free agency, and returning guard Oladipo is not expected to be ready for the start of the season. Vincent played in 50 games last season, averaging 4.8 points and 1.3 assists while shooting 30.9 percent on threes.
▪ How will center Omer Yurtseven’s summer league success translate to the NBA? The results were eye-opening in summer league last month, as the 23-year-old Yurtseven averaged 22.4 points on 50.6 percent shooting from the field and 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) shooting from three-point range, 11.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in five games with the Heat’s summer team. The 7-footer impressed enough to earn a guaranteed standard NBA contract from the Heat for next season. But with Dewayne Dedmon entering the season as Bam Adebayo’s backup at center and forwards P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris also providing experienced frontcourt options, playing time could be scarce for Yurtseven to begin the season.
(Note: The Heat’s 20-man training camp roster also includes forward Micah Potter, and guards Javonte Smart, Dru Smith and D.J. Stewart Jr. All four were signed to Exhibit 10 contracts, which includes an invitation to training camp and leaves open the possibility for all four to eventually play for the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.)
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 1:25 PM.
