Which Heat player has the most to prove at training camp?
Mora: I think it’s Derrick Jones Jr. I think he has to be involved with the young core. Adebayo, Winslow, Richardson, and Jones Jr. should be the future for Miami. They can be. He is quick and has a great basketball IQ, especially for a young player. He can adapt and with his build, it’s key for Miami. With so many guards, they need a lanky, strong small forward, that can transition the mid-range game. He can do that. He has shown flashes of that and can still improve. He was a stud at Summer League and since his second year of the current two year contract, is non-guaranteed, he needs to prove himself now more than ever. So, expect big things from him this year.
Ebrahim: I want to say Hassan Whiteside, but training camp isn’t the ideal place to find out how he’s gonna handle not being in the game during a close fourth quarter or ceding minutes to Adebayo. So, I think I’m going to have to go with Winslow. The team is going to have to make a decision on his long-term status sooner than later; he has to show that his game has evolved to a level where he’s worthy of a second contract and if so, what that second contract gives him. That means looking at his ball-handling, his decision-making, his touch from outside during scrimmages, his switch-ability on defense, etc. They need to get him in as many situations as they can, to see how he’s developed over the offseason.