The offseason was slow for the Miami Heat, but are changes inevitable come 2018-19? The AllUCanHeat staff is here to discuss that and more.
Alright, let’s get started. What Miami Heat player do you think faces the most pressure this year?
Chase Eyrich (@Ceyrich): Hassan Whiteside is under the most pressure. Coming off of last season with his complaints and broken relationship with head coach Erik Spoelstra, this has to be a big year for him. It doesn’t matter if he wants to stay with Miami or chase a check somewhere else, he has to prove his value either way.
Imran Ebrahim (@iebrahim81): I truly believe that Whiteside faces the most pressure this year. Some people will say Tyler Johnson, some will say Justise Winslow. But big men are dying out in the league as it is. Maxed-out big men are basically extinct, especially if you can’t spread the game out as DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis have shown they are working on. His trade value is at an all-time low, his reputation has already been tarnished because of the way he behaved at parts of the season, and president Pat Riley has never been one to deal with a non-performing character for too long. If Whiteside wants to play further than his contract with Miami and on a deal that vastly exceeds the mid-level exception, he’s going to have to prove himself this year. Not only on the court, but how he behaves when Bam Adebayo gets more minutes, or if Kelly Olynyk is closing out a game.
Rahmeaun Rahming (@Boneman9000): It has to be Tyler Johnson. From being the Heat’s $50 million ‘poison pill’ player, to the fake Brittney Griner diss… there’s no way he’s not feeling the psychological pressure to be seen as a success. There are very few people on this earth that truly mean it when they say they don’t care what people think. I want to be clear here though: monetarily, he’s made it and should be proud of what he’s accomplished in life. He’s in the elite company of the 449 other greatest basketball players this planet has to offer, and he’s getting paid very well. No one wants to be seen as not worthy of something or recognized as a person who takes handouts, so Johnson has a unique pressure to manage this upcoming season. He must perform well on the court to feel worthy once the noise of the season truly gets underway, but he mustn’t step outside of his role on the team. Once again, the positionless style the Heat are predicated on doesn’t really give him a clear-cut role that he can attack and succeed at.