The Miami Heat have had their fair share of great players, but some of them were put in boxes. Here are 3 of their most miscategorized players ever.
The Miami Heat have had a ton of great players across their existence. This is no different than any other franchise in the league as every team has practically had a Hall Of Famer on their roster at some point in history. While this may have added to or taken away from certain players’ greatness, some of them were considered “great this” or “great that”, when in all actuality, they were just great players.
One of the most relatable examples is the look on people’s faces when they are made aware of the fact that not only is Michael Jordan the greatest basketball player ever because of what he did on offense, but his defense was elite as well. He was the league’s Defensive Player Of The Year in 1988 while making nine All-Defensive teams throughout his career.
While they don’t forget someone’s greatness, people often time quantify or minimize a player’s greatness. Be that intentional or unintentional, putting players in boxes as strictly this or that inherently goes about doing that. That has led us here though, here are three of the Miami Heat’s most miscategorized players ever.
Alonzo Mourning
When most people think about Zo, Alonzo Mourning, most people think about his devastating defense and shot-blocking. What they don’t think about is the fact that he averaged over or right at 20 points per game for his first eight years in the NBA.
Most people also don’t know that he’s taken shares of the league MVP voting on four occasions, which is more of an offensive award, while finishing top 20 in offensive win shares twice during his career. Yes, we know about the Defensive Player Of The Year awards and the bold print blocks, which means he led the league in that category, but the offense is something people forget.
He wasn’t just a shot-blocker or a great defender, Zo was a great all-around player. That is why he makes the list for the Miami Heat’s most miscategorized players ever.
Ray Allen
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Although one of the biggest shots, wins, series, and subsequently championships in Miami Heat history came on the back of his special skill, Ray Ray is more than just a shooter.
When Ray Allen came out of college, in those He Got Game days, he was known for being an all-around baller! He had the handle, the athleticism, the quickness, the bounce, and of course the jump shot. Ray Allen was the total package, see for yourself.
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Ray Allen has always been “more than a shooter”, although that was the skill he could remain as elite in from day one to the final day, so he began to focus mostly on that. That is why he is the second most miscategorized player in Miami Heat history.
Derrick Jones Jr.
This one was a struggle and for a few reasons. Some will say that he is still “only a dunker” or that he hasn’t been doing anything long enough but if you’ve seen any Miami Heat games this season before the suspension, this should all make sense to you.
From the time he arrived in Miami and even in some more ignorant instances now, Derrick Jones Jr. or Airplane Mode, has received the “dunker” tag and treatment. This season has actually shown him diversify his offensive game greatly, but he has always been a plus defender.
Even if he didn’t come out and show the other offensive areas of his game, his abilities to drive, finish other than with a slam, and hit the spot-up three, his defensive proficiency alone was enough to take him out of that “only a dunker” space. This was a struggle because we could have gone a few more places.
Eddie Jones was a name because he was relegated to more of a spot-up guy later in his career, while he was a flat-out terror all over earlier. Duncan Robinson was a weak candidate here, as although he is an elite long-range shooter, he has shown the ability to create off the dribble and finish as well in spurts.
Chris Bosh could have even been listed here, as people that don’t know the game as deeply considered him to be slightly above a “prop” to the Big 3 era Miami Heat, when he was much more and a lynchpin to be exact. There could have been even more than those mentioned here, but they weren’t. That’s why these were the three most miscategorized players in Miami Heat history if you ask me.