The Miami Heat lost Jae Crowder in Free Agency, leaving a hole in the frontcourt. Moe Harkless joined to help fill that void, but Achiuwa should set his eyes on earning some of those minutes.
Jae Crowder was a bigger loss for this Heat team than most people think. After arriving via trade, he became an integral part of the rotation as the Heat made a run to the NBA Finals.
Crowder started all 21 Heat playoff games, averaging just over 31 minutes per contest. Achiuwa doesn’t need to set the goal at becoming a starter, because that’s far fetched on a Miami squad that’s goal is to win a championship.
Instead, he should be working to play a role off the bench on a nightly basis. That’s a real possibility too.
It’s a long season and the rookie big man can relieve Bam Adebayo for stretches of games throughout the season. That’s, in addition, to competing with the likes of Kelly Olynyk and Meyers Leonard for minutes.
There are definitely areas in the rotation for Achiuwa to play a role, but he must show the coaching staff and his teammates that he deserves it first.