The Miami Heat took on the Atlanta Hawks last night for the second time this preseason. They ended up losing 92-127, marking their first loss of the preseason so far.
Tonight they face off against the Boston Celtics in their final game before the regular season begins. It has been a pretty good preseason so far, and tonight will mark the end of that.
A lot of players have performed well, and some of them stood out more than others. Javonte Smart and Micah Potter in particular have played extremely well.
Unfortunately, the Miami Heat don’t have any two-way spots left. That being said, they do have one standard roster spot left for the taking.
Miami chose to bring in Marcus Garrett and Caleb Martin instead of guys like Smart and Potter. However, with how well the latter two have played, that decision could be called into question.
Now, the Heat run the danger of losing one, or both, of those players as the season begins. A lot of teams have two-way spots available and could look to steal them away.
As the Miami Heat get set to play their final game of the preseason, keep an eye on these two players. They might try to put on a show for the rest of the league.
The real question is, would it be worth it to sign one of them to a standard contract? Is either of them good enough to be on this Heat team full-time?
In addition to that, which teams around the league are the biggest threat to sign either Smart or Potter? Who has an open two-way spot available?
Will the Miami Heat lose Micah Potter or Javonte Smart?: Javonte Smart
Thus far this preseason Javonte Smart has looked great. The energy he plays with is almost unmatched not only on the Heat but in the entire league.
Last night, Smart dropped 20 points, five rebounds, and one assist against the Hawks. He did so while shooting 8-16 from the field and 3-8 from three-point range.
His shot selection can get questionable at times, however. He can often take some wild, unadvised shots, but that is something that can easily be worked on.
The biggest issue with the Miami Heat retaining Smart on a standard deal is the amount of depth they have at point guard. With Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent, and Marcus Garrett, he just wouldn’t get much playing time.
Even past that, they have a good amount of depth at shooting guard, too. If he were to remain with the Miami Heat, it would likely only be as a G-League player.
However, there is a good chance that another team snatches him up. He is way too talented to enter the season without being on an NBA roster.
A few teams that come to mind are the Cavaliers and Wizards. Both have open two-way spots left and could use some grit at the guard position.
Outside of them, there are plenty of other teams who would love to have Smart on their roster, too. Unfortunately, it’s looking like the Miami Heat won’t be able to remain in that mix.
Will the Miami Heat lose Micah Potter or Javonte Smart?: Micah Potter
Micah Potter has looked absolutely incredible this preseason. Whenever he gets significant playing time he ends up filling up the stat sheet and making a big-time impact.
In his first real opportunity of the preseason he dropped 13 points and 17 rebounds vs. the Spurs. Then he went a game without any real playing time before popping off again last night vs. the Hawks.
Last night, Potter scored 16 points to go along with 16 rebounds and one assist. He shot 6-14 from the field and 2-6 from three-point range.
As of now, he projects as a stretch five, but with some work, there’s a chance he could be effective at the power forward position. That would be the only way it could be worth it for the Heat to keep him around.
Unfortunately, Miami has a ton of depth at the big man position. There wouldn’t really be a chance for him to get significant playing time.
Around the league, though, there are plenty of teams who would love to have Potter around. He would be a steal on a two-way contract.
Some teams that would benefit from bringing him on board include the Celtics, Warriors, and Magic. Orlando, in particular, would be a great landing spot for him.
In Orlando, he would pair nicely next to Wendell Carter or Mo Bamba. His shooting would give them another look on offense that they don’t usually have.
Anyways, the point is that Potter could be getting some two-way offers once the preseason is over. The Miami Heat might end up losing him.