Miami Heat Roundtable: Who is the team’s X-Factor this season?

And what specific 1-on-1 matchup are most you excited to see?

Ebrahim: While the Hassan Whiteside-Joel Embiid matchup does present the best social media “beef,” and as entertaining as it will be to see again this year, I think we’re stuck knowing the winner of that matchup for years to come. One of my favorite matchups to watch every year, even back before he joined the team, is watching James Johnson guard LeBron James. Sadly (but also thankfully), James has moved to the Western Conference, so we won’t be able to see this matchup as often, but I love the way that Johnson approaches the 1-on-1 matchup with absolutely no fear, even when he’s stuck on an island against who I consider the G.O.A.T. His grit and his attitude really show out, to me, when he’s matched up against The King.

Leniart: Wade versus everybody. (Dwyane, if you are reading this, please come back to the Heat for one final farewell tour. Hand-pick the games you want to play in and sit out the rest. You don’t have to worry about playing against the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, or Orlando Magic. You can sleep in on nights when the Heat are playing the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets, or Sacramento Kings. We want to see you on the court for Miami’s nationally-televised games, so the whole country can gain a greater appreciation for your illustrious career.) I would love nothing more than to watch one final season of Wade calling iso plays against his good friends in the banana boat crew, and all of the other top guards in the NBA.

Rahming: For me, it has to be Waiters versus Bradley Beal. Last season, Beal put together a heck of a campaign en route to his first All-Star selection. He managed to play all 82 games while accomplishing career-highs in rebounds and assists per game. For Waiters, I look back to his 2016-2017 run, which was his best year in the league. He posted the best 3-point percentage and assists per game of his career, while falling a tenth of a point below his career-high in points per game. I think that’s a fair trade off, don’t you? One of these two shooting guards is considered elite, while the other is trying to have a bounce-back season. These two stars were drafted one behind the other in 2012, with Beal beating out Waiters by one to claim the third overall selection. I can’t wait to see how one player affects the next. Since they’re both in the Southeast division, they’ve got four cracks at beating the other.