Meyers Leonard has yet to reclaim his starting spot for the Miami Heat in Orlando. Was it ever his, to begin with?
The Miami Heat have split the first four (of only eight) regular-season games, 2-2. But big man Meyers Leonard has yet to see the floor, after starting 49 games before the league’s suspension in mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreak across America.
While most fans have welcomed the big man’s benching, it’s sparked somewhat of a speculative debate: did the Heat ever view Leonard as a longterm starter?
In his latest mailbag column, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel called the big man nothing more than a placeholder in Miami:
"“Meyers had mostly been a placeholder in the starting lineup, which the Heat now have covered. I’m not sure I see a role at the moment with this mix, unless there are multiple absences in the power rotation.”"
It’s an interesting comment given how plugged in Winderman is to all things Heat. And it’s not entirely unrealistic to think Leonard’s destiny in Miami is just a one-year stay, barring any legendary playoffs performance as we saw in Portland.
For starters, the veteran big is headed for free agency this offseason, as one of six Heat players set to be unrestricted. If there were chances of his returning to Miami, they’re only cut in half with the ‘whole picture’ view Pat Riley will have to taken to free agency and the players available.
Then there’s his frontcourt partner, Bam Adebayo, who’s true ceiling lies at the center position.
The 23-year old is 6-9 and 225 lbs but has primarily manned the power forward slot in his Heat tenure. With the way today’s game is changing, Adebayo is a far better fit defensively for the new prototype of big men.
They can space the floor and pass the ball at high levels, something that was rarely asked of centers pre-2000’s. In Leonard’s absence, Adebayo was tasked with the Nikola Jokic defensive assignment in Miami’s season restart win over the Denver Nuggets.
There are also teams like the Houston Rockets, who’ve adapted (and committed) to small-ball lineups in their entirety this season.
They traded 6-10 center Clint Capela for 6-7 combo forward Robert Covington at the February trade deadline. The short-term results bode well for the Rockets’ title hopes but make for a different matchup for certain opponents like the Los Angeles Lakers.
With Leonard, you’ve got a big who can space the floor, sure, but he’s far more limited defensively as opposed to Adebayo. His immediate future in South Beach is also largely uncertain, which has no doubt contributed to his fall down the rotation.
When the Miami Heat traded for Meyers Leonard before the season, they knew they had a (not the) starting center for this season. As they get ready to head into playoffs and hopefully a deep push in the Eastern Conference, it’s become less surprising to see the big man off the floor.