Top 5 Miami Heat Small Forwards Of All Time

Shane Battier

Maybe in today’s NBA, Keith Askins could have been Shane Battier. And maybe Shane Battier could have been Keith Askins in the 90’s.

Once dubbed the “No-Stats All-Star”, Battier was the definition of that in his three seasons with the Heat, as he was the guy that annoyed Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony in playoff games, while draining tippy-toe threes in critical moments. As opposed to his time at Duke where he was the center of attention, Battier wasn’t going to be the guy Heat opponents game-planned for, but he was the guy that would make them pay if they lost sight of him.

Battier brought something in 2011-12 that the Heat lacked in their Finals loss to the Mavericks the year before: a shooter that could guard multiple positions. While they envisioned Mike Miller to be that shooter, his health was enough of a question mark that the Heat had to look for an alternative. Battier was as great as they could have hoped.

Much like Askins, Battier’s contributions go past the box score, but when he did stuff the stat-sheet, he did it in the big moments. His performance in the 2012 Finals played a big part in the Heat beating the Thunder, as he finished the series 11.6 points per game, and shooting 57.7% from three. His 34 points in the first two games in Oklahoma City helped steal home court advantage in that series.

Then after a sub-par performance against the Spurs in the 2013 Finals, Battier unleashed the dragon in the deciding Game 7, scoring 18 points, including 6 of 8 from three, to help the Heat win their second consecutive championship.

The “No-Stats All-Star”, in my eyes, is a Heat All-Timer.

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