NBA scouts debate Miami Heat’s best option at power forward
Unless the Heat adds a power forward before the season opens in mid October, Miami almost assuredly will need to start a small forward at power forward: Jimmy Butler or Caleb Martin.
And that decision would be a conundrum, according to two scouts.
Both said moving Butler to power forward — playing a lineup of four wings and using Martin off the bench — would probably be the better option than starting Martin, noting that Martin’s energy, defensive switchability and overall skill set are assets off the bench.
But that comes with a downside, the scouts cautioned.
“The load you’re putting on Jimmy at the four [power forward] would be hefty,” said one scout, who played in the NBA. “He can definitely do it. But that’s a heavy load to ask him to consistently guard bigger, heftier players.
“Jimmy is essentially a two guard, even though he can guard multiple positions. That would be a huge toll on him physically. He can definitely do it. But I’m not sure that’s what you want ideally.
“I know the Heat already plays a lot of zone, but Spo [Erik Spoelstra] is probably calling college coaches who play a lot of zone, preparing for it if they’re going to be that small.”
What about Martin?
“As a supporting cast player, he plays exactly the way they want him to play,” that scout said. “He provides shooting. He’s a guy who can play in transition. He can score off the dribble. He plugs a lot of holes. I like him coming off the bench.”
Asked about the best option at power forward with the Heat’s current roster construction, the second scout said:
“I would rather have Butler at the four, and bring Caleb off the bench. I like Caleb. Excellent DNA. His shooting came around last year. He’s a hustler, a Heat guy. He can defend, has some defensive versatility, and now that he’s making threes; that’s part of the reason he got paid. Somewhat limited, but he gets the most out of his ability and he really competes.
“I would be a little concerned about [power forward]. Caleb Martin could be a starting four but does that lead to a championship? Is this a guy you’re going to play into May with as your starting four? Is he getting overmatched when it really counts?”
Martin played 22 percent of his minutes at power forward last season.
The Heat also could play smaller lineups with Max Strus at power forward at times. Haywood Highsmith is a power forward option off the bench if he cracks the rotation.
And Spoelstra is expected to at least consider smaller doses of bigger lineups, with Adebayo paired with Dwayne Dedmon and Omer Yurtseven.
But Spoelstra traditionally has been reluctant to use two bigs together for significant minutes unless one of them - such as Kelly Olynyk or Meyers Leonard - is an established, respected three-point shooter.
Yurtseven said last season that he hopes Spoelstra will be open to playing him some with Adebayo.
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 4:06 PM.
