The Miami Heat are in need of help, it seems, when it comes to their big man situation. They are getting mauled in the paint and especially when it comes to the glass.
Bringing back Meyers Leonard in the offseason and along with the addition of rookie big man, Precious Achiuwa, via the NBA Draft, Miami perhaps thought that they had their depth issue at the big man position solved with the guys they already had locked up to go along with it.,
It appears that they overestimated their situation. Well, that and the fact that Meyers Leonard hasn’t really played a ton this season due to a shoulder injury.
Out for the remainder of the year due to shoulder surgery, he was likely to be a decent part of the big man rotation. If nothing else for his ability to pull opposing bigs out and be seven feet tall, as simply being big is enough sometimes.
With that though, there is the question. Do they miss him more than we all thought they would?
With the Miami Heat getting killed in the middle, do they miss Meyers Leonard more than they thought?
To answer the question in the context of the way it was posed, I would say the answer is no. That’s the case because even if he had stayed healthy, they probably would have still needed help in the middle.
Now, the exception that could be created if applied for by the Miami Heat is something that might come into play moving forward, but that’s a different story. Leonard’s ability to stretch the defense, alter shots at the rim a bit, and be a big body to bang against other bigs is missed, but even if they had still had him, they would still need help.
You never like to see a player out with injury, so generally, it would have been better to see him playing. However, as far as what the Heat are dealing with now, when it comes to being abused at the rim and on the glass by opposing teams, Leonard wouldn’t have helped here much if you ask me.