Miami Heat Minutes Battle: Dewayne Dedmon vs. Omer Yurtseven

Miami Heat Minutes Battle: Picking Between Yurtseven Or Dedmon Isn’t Hard

While you absolutely love Omer Yurtseven, what he brings, and while the belief is that he could be an elite role player for years to come, I just don’t think those years are this year. While the rookie has shown those offensive flashes of consistency, it’s the other side of the ball where Omer has exhibited some issues.

To no surprise, rookie bigs tend to struggle on the defensive side of the ball as they adjust to the speed and physicality of the NBA. Dedmon, on the other hand, has been around the block and isn’t new to being a presence in the paint.

While the big man isn’t in any way, shape, or form a candidate for NBA Defensive Player of the Year  (sorry Dewayne), the big man has what it takes to help solidify a strong Miami Heat defensive core.

Dedmon has recovered his role as Miami’s backup center since Yurtseven came back down to earth following his solid New Year’s stretch of play and Miami should look to keep it that way. Even if The Big Yurt wouldn’t have calmed a bit, production-wise, Dedmon’s physicality, defensive instincts, and presence were too valuable to leave on the pine.

Dedmon shows a slight edge in versatility on both sides of the ball too. Look for Erik Spoelstra to allow Yurtseven to thrive as the regular season winds down, further building his confidence but when push comes to shove, Dedmon should play in the relief center role in big-time games.

It’s not that hard and comes down to simple things. Dedmon does the important things better.

Omer’s rebounding dominance can be downright astronomical, at times, but Dewayne just knows how to play the center position in the NBA. He’s a pro’s pro and a Miami Heat guy, through and through.

Yurt is too though or at least, you hope he’s growing into one. Dedmon is already there and should, rightfully, be the man right now though.