4 promising statistics for the Miami Heat
By Simon Smith
Will the Miami Heat’s new additions thrive given the opportunity?
It would be an understatement to say that the Miami Heat have had a tough summer. Dwyane Wade has departed. Chris Bosh’s future remains in doubt. The pursuit of Kevin Durant was unsuccessful. In a recent forecast on ESPN, coming from a panel of over 200 people, the Heat were projected to finish 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 36-46 record. Considering the team lost in seven games in the Eastern Conference semi-finals to the Toronto Raptors and compiled a 48-34 record, this is quite a drop off. The loss of Wade and the continued uncertainty of Bosh has led to much skepticism in regards to the Heat’s success for the 2016-17 season.
Having missed out on their top free-agent priority in Durant, and losing franchise-great Wade to the Chicago Bulls, Pat Riley has had to reassess the short-term outlook for the team. With this in mind, aside from the maximum contract awarded to incumbent center Hassan Whiteside and the $50 million handed to combo-guard Tyler Johnson, Riley has focused on a number of short-term contracts. Exciting forward Derrick Williams signed for one year. Enigmatic wingman Dion Waiters was signed to a one-year deal on the cheap. Sharp-shooter Wayne Ellington has signed for two. Luke Babbitt was acquired via trade. Veteran forward James Johnson has committed for one year, whilst Heat stalwart Udonis Haslem has returned for another season.
Although these new names obviously aren’t in the class of Durant or LeBron James, there is plenty of potential with a couple of these newcomers in particular–Williams and Waiters. Williams is a former No. 2 overall pick and Waiters a No. 4. Williams is only 25 and Waiters 24. The rate at which Williams, Waiters and the other newcomers can adapt to the Heat culture and fit in with the system Erik Spoelstra has implemented over the years will dictate how well the Heat can fare moving forward.
Williams and Waiters are likely to be given every opportunity to prove their value and demonstrate why they were both so coveted coming out of college, while the road has been laid for both Whiteside and Goran Dragic to shine. Although it is quite difficult to project anything for the coming season, it is a good time to cast an eye on this past season and view how these four players performed when giving the chance to display their talents.
Next: Let Whiteside shoot