Miami Heat: 3 goals for Meyers Leonard in the 2019-20 season

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PORTLAND, OR – MAY 20: Meyers Leonard #11 of the Portland Trail Blazers and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors talk after Game Four of the Western Conference Finals on May 20, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Record 50 blocks or more

Leonard is 7’1”, but has never finished a season with more than 38 blocks, and this total came in his 2012-13 rookie season. Leonard also averages .7 blocks per-36 minutes for his career, which is obviously not a mark familiar to Heat fans after having Whiteside anchoring the paint for years. Leonard, Bam Adebayo nor Kelly Olynyk are known as the same kind of anchors that Hassan was, but if Leonard can take advantage on defense and even show a small flash of being a “3-and-B” center, then he will instantly become a valuable rotational piece for the Heat.

Blocking is obviously not the skill-set that netted Leonard his hefty contract back in the Summer of 16’, but it would help the Heat immensely if he could figure that out. It would also help ease the pressure for Adebayo, as Adebayo is the only defensive-minded center on the entire team. In small-ball cases, James Johnson could hold down the five, as he has shown the ability to do in the past, but that is risky and only offers perimeter defense, not the rim protection the Heat will be desperately looking for this season.

The off-season is not over yet, and training camp has not even begun, so another move for a center is always in play, but for now Leonard looks like he has a great shot to be the backup center. If this is the case, look for Leonard to evolve his game as much as any Heat player has after they are fully immersed in the Heat’s rigorous training program.

Thankfully for Leonard, he will be joining an organization that is famous for showing the best of big men, and look no further than Whiteside, who was a G-League prospect-turned-max contract player before the Miami Heat. Former assistant coach Juwan Howard helped Whiteside grow, Heat legend Alonzo Mourning famously helped Adebayo grow and now the Heat add the aforementioned Allen to the coaching staff, who can help Leonard develop his game.

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