The Miami Heat will come into this upcoming season with choices, a luxury they haven’t had in a while, but who should be the choice to be the sixth man?
The Miami Heat are in the best position roster and talent-wise that they have been in for a few seasons. They have depth at key positions, a resident star, and quite a few players capable of shooting the three-ball at a high level. With all of these options currently available, that means that the team will have a few choices to make, a wonderful burden that this team hasn’t had in a while.
While other things, as far as who’s the go-to three-point shooter in a pinch or who’s taking the big shot in general, something that isn’t so fluid of a situation is who will be the sixth man. While that could change over the course of a season depending on a myriad of things such as injury, effectiveness, and potentially Coach Spo tinkering with the rotations, it’s typically a good thing to have a concrete option that you go to in that position.
It is also unlike other scenarios such as who should take the last shot because you may have nights where someone is just feeling it, thus dictating that they should be the one to take the shot. To clearly reiterate that this Miami Heat team has choices now, the sixth man role would probably be best suited to one of two guys, depending on how the starting lineup pans out. This points to the fact that Goran Dragic could end up being a starter, but let’s assume he doesn’t.
When thinking about the best potential options at the sixth man for this team, it leads you back to Dragic and Dion Waiters. If choosing between the two of those guys, who is the best option? The answer to me is Goran Dragic.
While Dion would be capable of excelling in that role, his game is a bit more limited than Goran’s. Whereas Dion is capable of doing everything that Goran can do, Dragic’s ability to get downhill and finish at the cup is quite a bit better than Waiters’. You also have to consider that Dragic is a combo guard capable and accustomed to managing point guard duties.
While the ball would most likely be in his hand for the majority of the time as the sixth man, his past exhibitions and known ability to facilitate and get others involved when his opportunities aren’t there would lead you to believe he would be the most useful and effective in that spot. Dion Waiters should definitely be the next man off of the bench though as he also has the ability to score in bunches when he gets going.
When thinking about the sixth man for a team, you tend to want somebody who can be effective at giving the first unit a boost with his scoring, keeping the second unit in the positive with their scoring, while also keeping the second unit engaged with their abilities to lead and get them involved. Dragic is all of the above and that is why he would be the best option as the sixth man if it came to that.