Miami Heat Roundtable: Who is the team’s X-Factor this season?
With the start of the 2018-19 NBA season right around the corner, the AllUCanHeat staff is here to discuss who will be the team’s X-Factor and more.
So, what have you missed about Miami Heat Basketball this summer?
Imran Ebrahim (@iebrahim81): Goran Dragic’s transition game. Bam Adebayo’s breath-taking athleticism. Tyler Johnson’s hustle. James Johnson’s fight. Wayne Ellington’s snipers. Kelly Olynyk’s flow. Josh Richardson’s potential. Dion Waiters’ swag. Justise Winslow’s switchability. Derrick Jones Jr.’s skywalking. Dwyane Wade’s turnaround jumper. Udonis Haslem’s unselfishness. Head coach Erik Spoelsta’s ability to turn a G-League prospect into a Miami Heat household name. The unexplainable feeling that president Pat Riley can turn the league upside down at any moment. And most importantly, those Miami Vice jerseys.
Jack Leniart (@Leniart_ND): Other than watching games that matter, the thing I have missed the most is a having a greater sense of certainty about the team’s future. The Heat have a nice core of younger players, but I don’t know if there is a superstar in the group. Because of that, I think they will need to acquire a superstar-caliber player via free-agency, the trade market, or the draft, before they can be considered a true championship contender. Given the team’s current salary cap situation and the time necessary to develop a young draft pick, the short term outlook for the Heat is not great. I’m sure plenty of fans reminisce about the LeBron James years when the roster was loaded, or years before that when the team had greater flexibility to pursue high-profile free agents. It may take three or more years for the Heat to return to that status.
Rahmeaun Rahming (@Boneman9000): One word: Kaboom. I’m a sucker for slick shooters, hence why my favorite player is Mike Miller (23rd all-time in 3-point percentage). For me, Heat announcer Eric Reid makes my favorite basketball action come to life: a made 3-pointer. It has even crept into my everyday life. I find myself tossing papers into the recycle bin at work and letting out a small kaboom when it goes in. And you better believe I shout it out while playing NBA2K, whether my mic is live or not. I don’t know why it’s not talked about more often, but fans got a real treat heading into the offseason. During this year’s playoffs, I made sure to say kaboom after every 3 Winslow made.