When the Miami Heat reached the NBA Finals in 2020, it was a result of everyone playing their role and doing their part. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro were all rightfully praised as they each had huge games in route to Miami making their sixth ever NBA Finals appearance.
While those three were all deserving of all the plaudits they received, the Finals run was much more than three or four players stepping up. An important cog in that machine was Jae Crowder.
He was the 3&D wing that can guard positions one through five and catch fire from beyond the arc at seemingly random moments. When Crowder decided to leave for Phoenix in free agency, the Heat never, seemingly, found a player to replace, not only his skillset, but his mentality and intangibles as well.
Crowder brought the toughness that every locker room needs to succeed and the Heat missed that immensely this season. With that being said, here are three players that could finally serve as the long overdue Crowder replacement.