With all the new additions that the Miami Heat have heading into this new season (or era), Myron Gardner has somewhat become a forgotten man. However, with the way he's played so far in preseason, he could make it extremely difficult for Erik Spoelstra to keep him out of the rotation.
In the Heat's most recent preseason win, Gardner finished with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. But even beyond the stat sheet, Gardner was a lightning rod when he was on the floor. In terms of pure entertainment value, there aren't many bench players on the roster who can flash the way Gardner does.
The question is, can Gardner do enough between now and the start of the regular season to continue to put the pressure on Spoelstra to find minutes for him in the regular rotation?
Could Myron Gardner add even more depth around Giannis and Bam?
Spoelstra admitted earlier this week that during Pelle Larsson's rookie season, he was too good not to give him minutes. And that's how he eventually broke into the Heat's rotation. Could Gardner do something similar this season?
Theoretically, that has to be the hope. With his versatility and the Heat's lack of backcourt depth, you'd have to imagine that Spoelstra would at least be open to the idea. Gardner is not necessarily the playmaking guard that the Heat could desperately use, but he's another athletic body with two-way potential.
And if Gardner continues to build on good habits in the preseason, he will give Spoelstra another tool he could use out of his toolbox. Through the first two games of exhibition play, Gardner is averaging nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals per game on 5-for-11 shooting from the field overall and 4-for-9 from the 3-point range.
Gardner has done everything he can to catch Spoelstra's eye. Now, especially as we head into the final three games of the preseason, it's about continued consistency. Over this final week of the preseason, Gardner is certainly going to get his opportunity to continue to leave his mark.
And as the starters slowly begin to see their preseason workload lessen, it will be Gardner's opportunity to prove his worth. If he can continue to be as effective as he's been through the first two games of the preseason, it wouldn't be that surprising if he slowly began to crack his way into the regular-season rotation.
He's deserved a closer look, if nothing else.
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