Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, Cole attended Dunbar High School, where he was a 4-sport star. He had other options besides basketball, but eventually chose going to play at Cleveland State because he felt his best chance of being a pro athlete was in basketball. Boy, was he right!

At Cleveland State, Cole had an amazing career. His senior year, he averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game. What really tells you about his game is that he was the first player in the Horizon League to win both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Although he played at a small school, that meant enough to Pat Riley for him to trade up for him on draft night. The fact that he played hard on both sides of the ball was the reason they valued him so much.

Cole made his NBA debut in the win against the Mavericks, but really had his coming-out party in the 2^nd game of the season against the Celtics. He had 20 points, 4 assists and shot 50% from the field. After that, he became a fan-favorite and a much-needed spark off the bench. Cole is averaging 8.7 points and 2.4 assists in just 21 minutes per game this season, but over the last 3 games, he has averaged 13.3 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals.

#28 Pick vs #1 Pick

While he may not be the starting point guard for the Heat, yet, Cole is a guy the Heat are going to need in the long run. He has proved that he is not afraid to shoot and lead the team in sticky situations and is very confident when he leads the team. Cole’s intensity on both sides of the ball really fits in with the Heat’s style of play and that’s why he has gotten so much playing time. He’s still young, but give young Norris Cole a couple of years, and he’ll be one of the best players in the NBA. But before he does, Norris needs to bring back the high-top fade he had while at Cleveland State.

Mario Chalmers has played pretty well this season. Definitely his best in Miami. The thing with Chalmers is that he needs some sort of motivation to play well. Last year, he was the spark off the bench and wanted to prove to everyone that he was better than Mike Bibby. This year, he is fighting to keep his spot with Norris Cole right behind him. Chalmers is a great fit, just as long as he doesn’t keep turning the ball over.

Cole has a very bright future. He may be the point guard of the future for the Heat. Riley and Spo love his energy and the fact that he is a solid all-around basketball player. His speed is something that helps the Heat because they can run their uptempo offense easier through him. If Cole starts knocking down shots, he will challenge Mario Chalmers for that spot soon.

Maybe the Heat should only use LeBron at point guard. Friday night he had 6 assists in just the 4th quarter alone. The lineup of James, Wade, Bosh, Miller, and Haslem may sound small, but they’ll have more height than other teams at the 3 and 4 while letting Haslem play a little bit of the 5. While this is just a lineup and not a starting lineup, it might be beneficial to the Heat to play LeBron at the 1. He would definitely average a triple-double if they use him at point guard more.

No matter what Spo decides to do, the Heat need a point guard to manage all of the stars on their team. Chalmers has the spot for now, but who knows for how long he’ll keep it. If they win a championship this year, it’ll be his for years to come, but if something were to happen and the Heat don’t win, look for Riley to replace Chalmers with Cole. At the end of the day, we all know it is Riley’s decision on who plays.