Five questions the Miami Heat need to answer heading into training camp

The New Rookie and the Old Rookies

When the Miami Heat selected Bam Adebayo, nobody knew much about him other than he wasn’t Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell, a player the Heat reportedly coveted before Utah swooped in with a last minute trade. But Adebayo quickly turned heads with his play in the Summer League begging the question of what type of impact

With Adebayo, it’s important to understand that the Heat will take a very slow approach to his development. He was drafted as somewhat of a project, and will be treated as such. It wouldn’t be surprising if he started the year with a stint in Sioux Falls, but he’ll land on the official roster sooner than later. A quick look at his Summer League activity recalls one of Spoelstra’s favorite qualities—a player who “makes you” play them.

But can Adebayo develop in the areas that will help the Heat? Yes, he is physically imposing and is relentless on the glass, but can he embrace the Heat’s defensive principles to harness that energy for efficiency? Offensively, can he continue to work on his jumper and be able to score from different areas on the floor?

These are all legitimate questions heading into a rookie season and since it is a rookie season, patience is something Adebayo is afforded. He doesn’t have to contribute on opening night, but his development will certainly be something to watch as he gets his feet wet in the NBA.

Two of the Heat’s younger players who are running out of the aforementioned patience, Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, also have all eyes on them heading into training camp. Both have battled through injuries and finally both will come into camp healthy looking to step up as the centerpieces of the team.

Winslow was the prize in the first round two years ago and stood out with his effort and grit on the defensive end. Offensively, major questions remain as a wildly inconsistent jumper plagued him constantly and made him a liability to use as a featured scorer.

Richardson on the other hand was fearless offensively, not afraid to integrate himself into the system. He made waves his rookie year by shooting 46 percent from 3 and while the volume went up in year two, the percentage and efficiency went down (just 33 percent from 3 and under 40 percent from the field).

While the time to develop would typically be afforded to a third-year player, this is a contract year for Richardson and the Heat have a big decision to make as to whether or not to continue paying the Tennessee guard. He’ll be eligible for a $42 million extension and if the Heat don’t grant the deal, he’ll become a restricted free agent at season’s end.

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Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow are two of the most important players coming into this training camp and this season. Their development and contributions will be the difference between the Heat making an impact atop the Eastern Conference or landing another lottery spot.