What Gives?
Kelly Olynyk
Despite his meandering drive and almost sluggish game on offense, Olynyk’s play has most recently been described as “inspired” and “phenomenal” in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
Olynyk was just that in 2018, making what some believed would be a difficult merger with Miami, into a healthy relationship, predicated on his ability to stretch the floor in ways that his counterpart Whiteside could not.
Though he only ranked 11th in points off the bench, Olynyk has a leg up on a handful of other bench pieces.
Entering his second season with Miami, he is already past the growing pains stage. With Miami trudging forward with effectively the same roster as last season, Olynyk will be poised to build on his contributions from last season, ideally, with a Sixth Man of the Year award in sight.
Josh Richardson
If Miami had a patron saint of high ceilings, it’d be Richardson. As a former second-round draft pick, Richardson has beaten the odds.
Only a handful of players drafted below him are salaried in the Association, and none boast the defensive resume Richardson has compiled.
Moving forward, Richardson could easily become the face of the franchise. His raw averages suggest that with greater responsibility, he could push the Heat through the East as a lock-down defender and offensive generator in the mold of Jimmy Butler.
What’s really keeping Richardson from exploding up the ranks is his team first, sacrifice-oriented mentality.
The NBA learned exactly what Isaiah Thomas had to offer when he was given the go ahead to run a middle-of-the-pack Boston Celtics team. Richardson could stand to take a pinch of that selfishness as his own, instigating his own breakout season sooner rather than later.