Miami Heat: Who is going to be starting next season?
We already know who one starting wing is, the Miami Heat’s best player in Jimmy Butler. Who will start opposite of him though?
Wings:
This one was the obvious one. He is the best player on the Miami Heat and has shown in the NBA Finals exactly what he is capable of.
And if you forgot what he can do, just go rewatch Game 5. He’s coming into the season as almost a lock for a top-10 player in the league, but there is a chance he might have a slightly different role this season.
It should be clear by now that Butler doesn’t care about taking the most shots or scoring the most points. All he cares about is winning and doing whatever is needed from him to do it.
He can give you 40 points, a 40 point triple-double or he can get others involved. He can do either or all of those while also playing the best defense.
Last season, he put up 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.8 steals on 58.5 percent true shooting. It’s unlikely his scoring will get any higher than this, it may even decrease, but do expect everything else to go up.
Do expect him to be more of a facilitator. Do expect getting Adebayo, Herro, and Robinson more involved.
And do expect him to give everything on defense. At the four position, that would be the team’s newest signing, Harkless.
This has been one of the most underrated pick-ups this off-season. To sign Harkless by just splitting the mid-level is a straight steal.
Remember, he isn’t a replacement for an All-Star caliber player. He is a Crowder replacement and he can fill that hole perfectly.
He’s 6’7″ with a 7’2″ wingspan, capable of playing the four or the three, defend, play his role, and at least be a threat from downtown. He’s practically perfect for what the team needs.
He allows the team to play small, while being able to stretch the floor, and able to switch on defense onto multiple positions.
One thing to note, you may look at his shooting stats and think the team got worse, but Crowder wasn’t good either before he arrived in Miami. What Crowder did in the bubble for the Heat is not what he is for his career.
Maybe this system and having shooters everywhere will let Harkless have similar success too. If that happens and he can be a reasonable threat, then the Heat should be even more dangerous.