How will Heat power rotation look next season? Decisions loom with Thomas Bryant, Orlando Robinson
The Miami Heat has been in search of functional size for the last few years. That search could continue this offseason after two of the tallest players on its roster struggled to find consistent roles this season.
Thomas Bryant, who is listed at 6-foot-10, played in just 38 games in his first regular season with the Heat after joining the team as a free agent last summer. While being held out of half the regular-season schedule (41 games) by coach’s decision, Bryant averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game this season.
“For me, overall, I thought the year was a learning experience,” Bryant said earlier this month after the Heat’s season came to an end in the first round of the playoffs. “It was a really big learning experience coming in from different organizations to the Heat organization and Heat culture. I think it was a great big learning curve for me and I felt like I improved day in and day out since the start of training camp all the way until now.
“The opportunities were not there all the time, but I believed it was things that coach had to do. He was dealing with other things, as well. We had injuries and there were opportunities there for me, as well. I tried to capitalize as much as I could in those in as many I had. But overall, I thought it was a great time.”
Orlando Robinson, who is also listed at 6-foot-10, played in just 36 games and was held out of 32 games by coach’s decision this regular season with the Heat. After having his two-way contract converted to a standard deal with the Heat last offseason, Robinson averaged 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game this season while also spending some time in the G League with Miami’s developmental affiliate.
“It was a very productive season,” said Robinson, who went undrafted in 2022 and has spent the first two seasons of his NBA career with the Heat. “I learned a lot, a lot more than I did in my first year. I got to see many different things, places to grow, places where I was good.”
While Bryant and Robinson spent most of the season out of the rotation, the Heat relied on veteran Kevin Love to play most of the backup center minutes behind starting center Bam Adebayo. With Love (6-8) and Adebayo (6-9) playing as the centers in a frontcourt rotation that also included 6-foot-5 forwards Haywood Highsmith and Caleb Martin, the Heat again found itself as the smaller team in most games this season.
Adebayo and Love proved to be an effective center rotation this season, with both producing positive minutes in their roles during the regular season. But the Heat also could have used more size in certain matchups.
So what comes next for Bryant, Robinson and the Heat?
Bryant, who turns 27 on July 31, has a June 29 deadline to decide on a $2.8 million player option for next season. Exercising that player option would put him back on the Heat’s roster for next season and bypassing that player option would make him an unrestricted free agent.
Consistent playing time with the Heat will be far from guaranteed for Bryant if he returns next season. Opting out and becoming a free agent would make it possible for Bryant to search for a better chance at a consistent on-court role.
“I haven’t given too much thought about it right now,” Bryant said of his offseason decision. “Really it’s just trying to deal with the end of the season. But for me, I love this Heat organization. I love the Heat culture, I love what these guys represent and what they bring to the table and how everybody here has to work.”
As for Robinson, the Heat has a July 15 deadline to guarantee his $2.1 million salary for next season. If the Heat waives Robinson ahead of that deadline to forgo guaranteeing his salary, he would become an unrestricted free agent. The Heat could delay its decision on Robinson’s contract until just before the mid-July deadline in case it needs his salary to help facilitate an offseason trade.
Robinson, who turns 24 on July 10, has produced some encouraging and impressive moments during his time with the Heat, but most of them have come in summer league or in the G League. Robinson earned a spot on the All-Summer League First Team last year and scored 41 points in a G League game this season.
The next step for Robinson is playing his way into a consistent role after spending most of his first two NBA seasons out of the Heat’s rotation. He hopes to be able to do that next season with the Heat, if he’s retained, by becoming a more reliable defender.
“Defensively, first off,” Robinson said when asked for areas of improvement. “I feel like just honing in on that side of the floor. The Miami offense, I feel like I can impact it without really having to focus on it. I’ve tried to study it to a point where I understand how we move the ball, play off of each other. ... But defensively, I feel like the more I can do with my body will allow me to impact the defensive end. So just strengthening my body and creating more depth in that area will allow me to be more impactful on the defensive end.”
Bryant and/or Robinson could be back with the Heat next season. Or the Heat’s search for functional size could result in adding outside reinforcement this offseason.
“I felt like it was a great, great time being here, being around these guys, being around the coaching staff, being around this organization,” Bryant said of his first season with the Heat. “So there’s nothing that I can say that was a con or anything that would deter me from wanting to be here in this Heat culture.”
