Ranking the Top 5 shooters in Miami Heat history
By Brennan Sims
3. Glen Rice
Glen Rice was one of the original Heat players. Rice became the Heat’s third draft pick ever when he was selected fourth to South Beach in 1989. Rice had a sweet stroke and was the first player to average 20 PPG for the franchise.
The Flint, Michigan native was a versatile shooter. He had elite movement coming off screens and pin-downs. He would catch defenders resting, use a slight bump to get into their body, and take off like a rocket. Before defenders knew it, he already had the ball above his head, ready to release his awkward-looking jumper that was cash.
He could create his own shot if he had the speed advantage over a defender. Standing at 6’8 with a 215-pound frame, Rice was quite mobile for his size. He wasn’t the strongest man on the team but coaches didn’t put smaller defenders on him because he could shoot over top of them.
When teammates fed him the ball in the high post, Rice would go to work. Facing up and nailing jumpers over and over again. He wasn’t stationary when he didn’t have the ball like many other great scorers. He moved from spot to spot on the hardwood looking for catch-and-shoot 3-point opportunities as well. Relative to his era, Rice was an ultra-efficient high-volume shooter.
From 1992-1995, Rice shot 39% on 4.9 3PA. For context, Reggie Miller (maybe the third-greatest shooter ever) shot 40% on 4.7 3PA during this stretch. Rice was almost even with one of the shooting goats.
His full shooting arsenal was on display when he decimated the state in-state rival Magic with a then-Heat record of 56 points.