As the Miami Heat continue to wait out Klay Thompson's situation with the Dallas Mavericks, hoping that they will eventually get the opportunity to add an elite sharpshooter before the start of the season, I can't help but wonder if some of their answers to their lack of shooting questions may quietly already be on their roster.
Well, technically.
If the Heat is hoping that their development pipeline unearths another sharpshooter to help kickstart the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, perhaps it's time to look no further than Tre Donaldson. A young prospect who currently finds himself on a two-way deal, Donaldson has already begun to make waves for himself inside the Heat organization.
Tre Donaldson is one name to watch this season
During the NBA Summer League, Donaldson shot a combined 41 percent from 3-point range. During his four-year college career, Donaldson was a 38 percent shooter from distance. Donaldson may not have the size of a prototypical shooting specialist in the Association, but he's certainly an intriguing name to watch heading into the start of the season.
Especially considering the Heat's lack of shooting is one of the bigger question marks to begin this new era for the team.
And if the Heat isn't able to land Thompson (or another elite shooter) before the end of the summer, the team is going to have to figure out how to manufacture shooting internally. Donaldson could be part of that plan.
Tre Donaldson is still a work in progress, but there's potential
Sure, there are other steps that Donaldson would need to take before it becomes fathomable that he would emerge as a meaningful contributor to the Heat during his rookie season, but he has the experience and skill set that this team needs.
Especially during the second half of the season, if Donaldson does develop quickly, it wouldn't be that outlandish to see Miami give him a shot to prove himself on the main roster.
Even though it may not seem like a very smart plan to rely on an undrafted free agent to help solve the Heat's shooting issues, he can't be discounted as an option. The Heat have done it time and time again, and there's reason to believe that Donaldson could be one of the team's next hidden gems.
Donaldson has put in the work, said all the right things, and appears ready for the challenge this season to prove that he belongs. The Heat are hoping it works out too. And if the dominoes don't fall in their favor between now and training camp, they may need it to.
Add us as a preferred source on Google