Ever since his legs dangled in front of the face of an unsuspecting Rasual Butler in the first game of last season, James Ennis has been a darling of Miami Heat fans.
He plays fast. He plays hard. He jumps high. If he was a player of the 1970’s, he would be a starter for a Bill Walton-esque team. But he’s not a player of the 70s. It’s 2015, the Heat are loaded with wings and Ennis may not make the team.
This isn’t a surprise. The Heat already persuaded Ennis to postpone his contract guarantee deadline until the regular season, giving them more time to evaluate him rather than cut him before training camp. According to the Miami Herald, Ennis is indeed on the bubble.
"Barring trades involving Mario Chalmers or Chris Andersen, forward James Ennis appears the only incumbent Heat player at risk of being cut, with his $845,059 salary becoming fully guaranteed on Oct. 28. Ennis, who disappointed the Heat in summer league, is fortunate that the Heat hasn’t used its roster spots on an established veteran who wants to be here (such as Rasual Butler, who expressed interest)."
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Ennis, who played overseas for one year before joining the Heat in Miami last season, has been a project since being drafted out of Long Beach in the second round. It seems as if his development has plateaued.
Ennis projected as a possible 3-and-D player, but he hasn’t hit 3’s at a reliable rate (32.6 percent) and wasn’t a plus defender last season either (-0.6 defensive box plus-minus).
Instead, he made his bones by hustling for loose balls, chasing after rebounds and his overall effort. He was a mini-Udonis Haslem of sorts, except without a specialty mid-range shot.
He struggled with his shot and, more poignantly, his ball handling. His speed doesn’t matter when he can’t dribble and penetrate. He doesn’t hit jumpers consistently enough to be a stand-still passer a la James Jones and Mike Miller. His dribble is the missing link in his game–something we knew he had to improve on since Day One and hasn’t–and it might be the end of his place in Miami.
Ennis had a rough summer league, seemingly digressing in his development.* Rookies Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson have already leapt him in the depth chart. The Heat can afford to lose Ennis, a wing, in favor of a big such as Greg Whittington, who impressed over the summer.
Ennis’ saving grace might be that he can play fast, and play with Goran Dragic. When the two were on the court together last season, the Heat averaged 1.074 points per possession–a mark that would have ranked fifth in the NBA–compared to 1.060 points per possession when it was Dragic without Ennis.**
The Heat want to play fast, and Ennis does. If he can improve on his 3-point shot, he could be a valuable reserve. He also has much more experience that some of Miami’s other training camp invitees.
The other option is that Miami could keep the 15th spot open and use it on another, more able veteran. Or they could leave it open and not pay the impending luxury tax bill associated with any player the Heat would have to pay to sit on the end of the bench, leaving it open as a break-in-case-of-roster-injury spot.
Whatever the case may be, the ball is in Ennis’ court. He has the opportunity to reprove himself in front of the Heat coaches and earn his spot.
*Heat assistant coach Dan Craig mentioned that Ennis was recovering from knee tendinitis during summer league.
**The Heat, as a whole, averaged 1.015 points per possession–22nd in the league.