Starting a series about what every player on the Miami Heat roster needs to improve on going into next season.
We’re starting with the young players: Kel’el Ware, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson and Keshad Johnson.
Later in the week, we’ll cover the role players and expensive players in separate posts. Here we go!
Kel’el Ware
Defense. While Tyler Herro took the brunt of the blame for Miami’s flimsy defense in the playoffs, Kel’el Ware didn’t help matters when he was on the court. When the Cavaliers attacked Herro in the pick-and-roll, the Heat needed a big man to fortify things behind him. Ware was too often caught out of position.
That’s natural for a rookie, and Ware had a positive impact as a rookie, so I don’t mean to pick on him. Ware’s on/off defensive metrics paint a pretty picture at first glance, but things get less rosey when you separate Bam Adebayo.
If Ware is going to be part of a championship-level defense, he needs to fast-track his development on that end. Not just with his understanding and processing of the game, but also as a defensive rebounder who ends possessions.
Nikola Jovic
The word that comes to mind is force. At 6-foot-10 with the ability to shoot, pass and handle, Jovic’s skillset is tantalizing but is too often more theoretical than real. There are too many games in which Jovic fails to make an impact and show the things that excite Heat fans.
Jovic is going into his fourth year. It’s time to start putting it together. He has everything he needs to be a two-way player who can defend multiple positions, push the pace off rebounds and knock down open jumpers.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
This one is easy. Three-point shooting. Jaquez has talked a lot about how his greatest swing skill will determine his playing time, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that as his 3-point shooting percentage slipped in his second season, so did his minutes.
Jaquez has made 31.8% of his 321 3-point attempts since entering the NBA. Those numbers are in line with what he shot in college. When the Heat drafted Jaquez two summers ago, they bet that they could help turn him into a serviceable 3-point threat. They are still waiting on that bet to hit.
There’s so much else that Jaquez does well on the court, but in today’s NBA, it doesn’t matter much if opponents don’t respect him from deep.
Pelle Larsson
Fouling. Nobody on the Heat averaged more fouls per 36 minutes than Larsson (4.2) last season, and there were too many games when early foul trouble led to Larsson riding the bench.
Larsson has the capability to be an impactful two-way role player who can play solid perimeter defense, rebound and play off the ball. But it won’t matter if he can’t stay on the court.
Keshad Johnson
Shooting and defense. Keshad Johnson is an athletic ball of clay that the Heat coaching staff is excited to work with, but he’s raw. No one questions his effort, athleticism and approach to the game, but the NBA scrap heap is littered with world-class athletes who failed to develop a translatable NBA skill.
Johnson’s NBA future is likely that of a combo forward not unlike Caleb Martin, but he needs a reliable 3-point shot and the ability to defend those positions.