Miami Heat Point Guard Preview: Mario Chalmers Will Get the Rock
Analyzing Last Season’s Performance
When you look at the statistical profile above, what do you see? Most would say a backup guard that happens to be a pretty good shooter. In theory, you’d be right. In the literal sense, however, you’d be wrong. Those statistics belong to the Miami Heat’s STARTING Point Guard Mario Chalmers. In Chalmers’ defense, though, he played (and plays) with two of the more dominant ball handlers in recent memory in current teammate Dwyane Wade and former teammate LeBron James.
Looking at Chalmers strengths, I think his ability to spot up and shoot the three is his best attribute. When he’s focused, he’s a very solid defender and one of the more fearless competitors on the Heat roster. Here’s a look at his shot chart:
He struggled quite a bit in the mid range area, which could have been really useful when teams were double-teaming LeBron in the post instead of living and dying with the three point shot. What the chart also shows, is that Chalmers was REALLY good at the corner three, which he could see more of now that Ray Allen and Shane Battier are gone from the team.
As I alluded to earlier, his focus appears to come and go ALOT. That’s really his only weakness, because it affects so much of his game. His shooting and playmaking begin to suffer and he loses track of game and time situations. Most importantly, his defense suffers and it puts the team in a bad spot because he’s capable of much more.
How LeBron’s Departure Impacts His Role
When looking at the change in Chalmers’ role now that James has relocated to Cleveland, you can certainly see him handling the ball a lot more, and being more of a creator/distributor than he was at any point in the last four years. Other than that, I don’t really see his role changing much. He’s somewhat maxed out in his ability and production, but crazier things have happened.
Projections for this Season
What I expect from Chalmers this season is a slightly increased offensive role as far as shooting and ball handling goes, so he could see close to 10 FGA’s a game, which should bring about more points per game and assists per game. Also, we should see a more consistent effort from Chalmers, given how his season ended in the Finals. A rough estimate of his numbers would be around 12 PPG, 3 RPG, 6 APG, 1.5 SPG, while shooting about 46% from the field and 39% from three.
“Why I’m Excited” – David Ramil
How could you not be excited by the prospect of Chalmers bringing his unique brand of fearless inconsistency to this season? Look, Rio wasn’t the best option this free agency but as Miami looks to move past the “Big 3” era, he at least brings stability to the rotation. There’s a genuine sense that maybe, just maybe, he can finally evolve into a mature player that doesn’t drive you crazy with at least one typical Chalmers play every game. I look at it this way – either he’ll turn the corner, learn to always (usually?) make the right play and still knock down big shots or at least he’ll be the scapegoat he’s always been for when things go wrong. You keep being you, Rio. But hopefully a better “you,” ok?
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