How center Thomas Bryant can help Heat. And a look at where roster stands amid Lillard wait
The Miami Heat simply tried to survive the minutes that starting center Bam Adebayo spent on the bench last season.
The Heat tried to address those minutes this offseason by signing veteran center Thomas Bryant to a two-year contract at the minimum that includes a player option in the second season. Bryant will compete to be Miami’s new backup center when training camp opens in early October.
“It was just the want that they had for me,” Bryant said this summer when asked what drew him to the Heat in free agency. “I felt that they really wanted me on this team.
“And just knowing throughout their history and the Heat organization, their culture of what they do and I feel for myself that I represent that culture of just being the most professional person that you can, holding yourself to a very high standard, especially with conditioning, and having your body right, as well. Those are just things that I really stand for and I feel like the Heat stand for.”
Meanwhile, the Heat was drawn to Bryant’s versatile offensive skill set.
Bryant, who turned 26 in July, has proven he can stretch the floor after shooting 39.4 percent from three-point range during the past four seasons. He also shot an efficient 77.2 percent from inside the restricted area and 44.2 percent on non-paint twos last regular season.
“I feel like I can help this team based on what I’ve seen as an interior presence, interior scoring, my versatility out there to be able to shoot the three and make midrange jump shots and score at the rim,” Bryant said. “But I feel like the versatility that I will bring to the table will really help the team in a great way.”
Bryant averaged 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 65.4 percent from the field and 22 of 50 (44 percent) from three-point range in 41 games (25 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers last season before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets in February.
Bryant (6-10 and 248 pounds) is entering his seventh NBA season. He has averaged 10.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 59.8 percent from the field and 118 of 322 (36.6 percent) on threes during his NBA career.
“Thomas is somebody that we worked out in the draft when he came out in the draft, and we were a fan of his then and then we’ve also kept an eye on him over the years, mostly when he was with Washington,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And then his time with L.A. I thought was really important. You could see how he could be effective in our system and how he can play with multiple guys.”
While Bryant’s value on the offensive end is evident, his defensive fit with the Heat remains to be seen. He’s not considered an elite shot blocker, but is a quality defensive rebounder.
Bryant’s main competition at the moment for the backup center job is second-year big man Orlando Robinson, who the Heat promoted from a two-way contract to a standard NBA deal this offseason. Veteran Kevin Love is another option for that role who can play both frontcourt positions, albeit undersized for the center spot at 6-foot-8.
Whether it’s Bryant, Robinson or Love, the Heat just wants to win more of the non-Adebayo minutes this upcoming season. Miami was outscored by four points per 100 possessions when Adebayo wasn’t on the court last regular season.
“He’s big, he’s physical, he plays with a motor and he can also stretch the floor,” Spoelstra said of Bryant. “So he can have a presence at the rim and in the paint, but he also can space the floor and be efficient behind the three-point line. We’re excited to be able to add him to our roster and add some depth to our frontcourt and some versatile depth.”
WHERE HEAT ROSTER STANDS
Training camp opens in less than a month, but the Heat’s roster for this upcoming season is still incomplete amid the Damian Lillard waiting game.
With only 13 players on its 15-man roster, the Heat needs to add at least one more player to a standard contract. The new CBA makes it tougher for teams to consistently carry fewer than 14 players under standard contracts.
Starting this season, teams can have fewer than 14 standard contract players for no more than 28 total days during the regular season and 14 consecutive days at a time.
One of the top remaining free agents available came off the board Tuesday night when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that forward Christian Wood agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year deal at the minimum salary with a player option in the second season.
Among the best and most notable free agents still available for the Heat are Kelly Oubre Jr., Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn.
Because of Miami’s salary-cap situation and the new collective bargaining agreement’s punitive rules, the Heat currently only has minimum contracts to offer outside free agents. But that was enough for the Lakers to add Wood, who averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Dallas Mavericks last regular season.
Trade talks between the Heat and Portland Trail Blazers regarding Lillard remain quiet for now. Lillard requested to be traded to the Heat on July 1, but a deal has yet to materialize between Miami and Portland with discussions considered dormant for weeks.
