Who the are the best point guards in Miami Heat history? We break down the candidates and rank the top five.
You’ll often hear that the NBA is a point guard dominated league, but the Miami Heat haven’t been a particularly point guard dominated franchise.
The biggest stars in South Beach have been defensive-minded centers and scoring wings. Still, there are some point guards who stand out among Heat history.
We’re going to take a look at the top five point guards in Heat history. This may be the toughest positional group to rank because of a number of factors.
Some point guards played well during a short stint in Miami. Others played okay for a long time (so they get points for longevity). Some had shining moments to win championships while others had elite talent but were never on a title-winning team.
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The Heat have cycled through point guards more than maybe any other position. Take a look at the Big Three era Heat, for instance. A core of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh played alongside several point guards, including Mario Chalmers, Eddie House, Carlos Arroyo and Norris Cole.
Toward the end of the 2014 NBA Finals, they didn’t even start a traditional point guard.
Making things more difficult is the fact that for more than a decade, either Wade or James was the de facto signal caller. The offense ran through them more than a traditional point guard.
The Heat now are a more traditional offense with Goran Dragic calling most of the shots, but that is very recent–and that team hasn’t done a whole lot of winning.
So we’ll do our best to rank the best five point guards in Heat history.
Next: The Long Timer
5. Bimbo Coles
After being taken No. 40 overall by the Sacramento Kings, Bimbo Coles was traded to Miami (for veteran point guard Rory Sparrow), where he played the next 5.5 years from 1990 to 1996. During the ’95-’96 season, Coles was traded mid-season to the Warriors.
Coles, though fifth on this list, was not the top point guard on the depth chart until 1994. His first two seasons were spent backing up Sherman Douglas (more on him later), who was traded for another point guard Brian Shaw. For the next two years Shaw would get most of the starts.
However in the summer of ’94 the Heat let Shaw leave in free agency. Cole’s patience paid off, becoming the starting point guard for the next 1.5 seasons before being traded to the Warriors for Tim Hardaway (he’s coming up too). He bounced around for a few more years before eventually ending his career in Miami in 2004 as a reserve.
Coles always seemed to be around, though the Heat tried to constantly upgrade the position while he was there. However, his time invested allowed him to become the Heat’s all-time leader in assists (a mark that would later be broken by four other players).
Still, Coles managed to average at least 10 points per game in three of his first 5.5 seasons. He was having his best year, averaging 12.8 points and 5.7 assists per game in ’95 before being traded for Hardaway.
His best years were in Miami, as he would never crack 10 points or five assists per game again during his 15-year career.
Coles played more games with the Heat than any other point guard on this list except one, and he is rewarded for his time spent with the No. 5 ranking on this list, as well as a place on multiple all-time Heat leaderboards including games (8th), minutes played (10th), assists (5th) and steals (9th).
Next: White Chocolate
4. Jason Williams
Jason Williams was a spectacular point guard. He wasn’t the best, the most high-scoring, but he was often the most exciting. His wizardry with his passes was unlike anything we had seen, especially early in his career.
The Heat got Williams later in his career, but took full advantage, pairing him up with a young Dwyane Wade and a veteran Shaquille O’Neal, and eventually winning a championship.
It was 2008 when Williams last played for the Heat. Could a player get away with being nicknamed “White Chocolate” anymore? Williams played with style, flash, and was a Steve Nash University alum, his game based around the art of pace. He effortlessly controlled the tempo of games, and was a threat to randomly put up a 3-pointer in transition. He kept defenses guessing.
Williams came to Miami in 2005 as part of a monsterly five-team trade, the most expansive in NBA history. He joined O’Neal and Wade, becoming the backcourt partner Wade needed to allow him to focus less on setting up his teammates and more on scoring and, eventually, leading the Heat to its first ever championship. (And who could forget Williams hitting 10 consecutive shots against the Pistons in Game 6 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals to send Miami to the Finals?)
Williams played just three seasons in Miami, averaging a modest 10.6 points and 4.9 assists per game during his time, but his impact with the Heat shouldn’t be measured by numbers alone.
Rather, we should look more at what he allowed Wade, Shaq, and his other teammates to do to help win the 2006 NBA Finals.
Next: Little Brother
3. Mario Chalmers
Mario Chalmers got a bad wrap by Heat fans for a long time, always the scapegoat during the Big Three era. However, fans are beginning to appreciate him more now that those times are gone.
If Bimbo Coles found a spot on this list thanks to his time put in, Chalmers finds the next level of this. Like Coles, the Heat were always looking for an upgrade from Chalmers. Ever since he was acquired as a second round pick in the 2008 draft, the Heat have added other point guards to either start over him or compete with him, and Chalmers has fought and clawed every single year for his playing time.
Chalmers started all 82 games as a rookie, then lost his job the next two before getting it back in the second year of the Big Three era. He held on to that job until the beginning of last season, when the Heat named Norris Cole the starting point guard. Chalmers eventually reclaimed his position, beating out Cole (who was traded mid-season) and first-round pick Shabazz Napier (traded away after one year).
The Heat then made a real upgrade, acquiring Goran Dragic in a trade with the Phoenix Suns. Chalmers was traded at the start of the 2015 season as the final pieces of the Big Three era teams were dismantled.
Chalmers never had a spectacular season but, after eight seasons, ranks fourth all time in games played for the Heat, fourth in 3-pointers, third in assists and second in steals.
Next: The Dragon
2. Goran Dragic
Let’s first give a shout out to Sherman Douglas.
His time in Miami was short, just two full seasons, but very productive. That productivity eventually led to his time with the Heat coming to an end. Douglas was a second round pick in 1989 but became a major contributor for the Heat right away, averaging 14.3 points and 7.6 assists and landing on the NBA’s All-Rookie first team. His second season was even better, leading the Heat with 18.5 points per game and 8.5 assists and being named the team’s most valuable player.
Douglas, clearly out-performing his rookie contract, held out before the 1991-92 season and was traded to the Boston Celtics for Brian Shaw.
After just two seasons, Douglas ranks sixth in assists in Heat history and is still the leader in career average for assists per game. Douglas averaged 16 points and 7.9 assists per game in Miami. Douglas’ career in Miami could have been much more successful if he the Heat could have come to a contract agreement.
A lot of people might rank Douglas in the top five, but I can’t reward a player who put up big stats for a lackluster team.
Goran Dragic, meanwhile, after just two-and-a-halff seasons, has made a claim as the second-best point guard in Heat history.
In 2015-16, Dragic recorded arguably his best season of his career, averaging 20.3 points and 5.8 assists while leading the Heat to an historic 30-11 second half of the season. The team has only made the playoffs once since Dragic landed in South Beach, but better times seem to be ahead for a team finally recovered from the departures of LeBron, Wade and Bosh.
Dragic has become one of the new faces of the Heat, and a more silent one than those previous. Coaches praise his work ethic and developing leadership skills. At 31, he’s a valuable veteran on an otherwise young roster. On talent alone, Dragic is the clear No. 2 on this list. Depending on how the rest of his career goes, he could even accomplish more than the top point guard in Heat history.
Next: Tim Bug
1. Tim Hardaway
Tim Hardaway was one of the first truly electric players to star for the Miami Heat. His presence created excited around the team and helped launch the first successful era in franchise history.
Mid-way through the 1995-96 season, Pat Riley traded a pair of role players (Kevin Willis and Bimbo Coles) for former ‘Run TMC’ triggerman and NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway. Hardaway would join newly acquired Alonzo Mourning to form a 1-5 super duo and usher in a new era of Heat basketball.
The team would ultimately under-achieve in the late 90s, but it was exciting to watch a pair of the greatest players the Heat organization had ever seen to that point.
Hardaway played six seasons in Miami, leading the team to a franchise record 61 wins in his first full season, finishing fourth in the voting for the NBA’s most valuable player and earning a spot on the All-NBA first team.
He played in three All-Star games while in Miami, and remains near the top of many Heat leaderboards including 3-pointers (1st), assists (2nd), steals (6th) and points (7th).
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Hardaway spent the second half of his prime with the Heat, and in 2001 was traded to the Mavericks for a second-round draft pick. Hardaway won a lot of games in Miami, and is still waiting to be accepted to the Basketball Hall-of-Fame.
His time in Miami is remembered fondly by many Heat fans. If he’s ever going to be knocked off this No. 1 spot, it’ll be by a point guard who leads the team to a championship–something Hardaway never managed to do.