A.J. Hammons will have a chance to make the Miami Heat’s roster

A.J. Hammons has tantalizing talent, but can he put it all together to earn a roster spot after being traded to the Miami Heat?

The Miami Heat had to remove Josh McRoberts from the their cap in order to facilitate the signings of Dion Waiters, Kelly Olynyk and James Johnson. They did so by sending him, as well as their 2023 second round pick and cash considerations, to the Dallas Mavericks.

Coming back in the deal was seldom-used center A.J. Hammons. Hammons may simply be a throw-in to make the trade work, but he’ll have a chance to make Miami’s regular-season roster.

Hammons, 24, was selected by Dallas with the 46th pick in the 2016 draft. At 7-feet with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he provides size as well as the potential of a perimeter-oriented game.

DraftExpress had this to say about him entering the draft:

"With excellent 7-foot size, a strong frame, shot blocking instincts that made him a defensive force, touch around the basket, and a mid-range jump shot that always seemed to be on the verge of becoming realized, the soon to be 24-year old Hammons has been on the radar as a prospect ready to break out for quite some time.Yet there always seemed to be something missing, something which prevented Hammons’ impact from being quite as high as the sum of his parts. Whether it was his inconsistency on the defensive glass, his inability to turn that jump shot into a regular part of his offensive game, his irregular motor and lack of focus on and off the court, Hammons has never quite had the impact you expected him to."

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The Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year in his final collegiate season at Purdue, Hammons appeared in 22 games in his first season with the Mavericks, averaging 2.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 7.4 minutes per game. He also made five of his 10 3-point attempts for the season.

ESPN’s college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg mentioned Hammons’ defense during the Heat’s summer league game against the Spurrs, as per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson:

"“He’s got a big body; terrific defender in college,” Greenberg [said during the telecast]. “He’s improved his body, his ability to run. He’s a very good position defender. He scores usually on the left block with a little jump hook. He’s now showing the ability to step out and knock down a shot.”"

However, the issue with Hammons has been his work ethic. As The Smoking Cuban pointed out in their review of his rookie season, Hammons was slow up the court, hesitant on offense and not much of a worker anywhere else. The Heat, of course, broke one Hassan Whiteside out of those habits, but that’s more exception than trend.

In his first game with Miami’s summer league team in Las Vegas, Hammons finished with five points, and a rebound in 16 minutes. He made two of his four shots, including one of his two 3-pointers. The 3-pointer was impressive, but there is a lot to improve on his overall game.

Next: How Kelly Olynyk helps the Heat right now

Hammons, however, will have the opportunity to earn a roster spot. 3-point shooting 7-footers are, after all, a premium in today’s league. But he’ll have to earn it, because there’s plenty of other summer leaguers who want to be the next Rodney McGruder or Okaro White.