Pat Riley already has lofty expectations for Tim Hardaway Jr.

Objectively, the Miami Heat's move to sign Tim Hardaway Jr. may register much less on the Richter scale compared to their big splash for Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, in his introductory press conference, Pat Riley revealed that he already has some lofty expectations for the veteran sharpshooter.

In his words, Riley says that the goal for Hardaway Jr. in his first year in Miami is to finish with a slash line average of 50/40/90. In layman's terms, that's averaging 50 percent from the field overall, 40 percent from 3-point range, and 90 percent from the free-throw line.

Essentially, at least in terms of offensive efficiency, the Heat want Hardaway Jr. to aim for the efficiency that Tyler Herro was extremely close to over the past two seasons. That doesn't mean Riley wants Hardaway Jr. to be Herro, but that's the level of efficiency that Miami may need from the veteran guard.

Tim Hardaway Jr. should be set up for success in Miami

Even though it may not be realistic for Hardaway Jr. to hit that threshold, that's what Riley believes should be the goal for him entering this season. Considering that he came pretty close to hitting those marks this past season, playing alongside Nikola Jokic in Denver, perhaps it can be attainable this year next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.

Hardaway Jr. is coming off one of the most efficient seasons of his career, in which he averaged 14 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 41 percent shooting from 3-point range. He also shot 81 percent from the free-throw line.

In other words, Riley just raised the bar for Hardaway Jr. Despite one of the best seasons of his career, Riley put even higher expectations on Hardaway Jr.

Whether he'll be able to reach the ceiling or not remains to be seen, but this is what Heat Culture is all about. Pushing boundaries and expectations in an attempt to pull out the best of players.

That even though Hardaway Jr. is 34 years old, Riley still believes he can get to another level in his game. It won't be easy, and many will certainly doubt his ability to do so, but it's the Heat way.

And, honestly, there may be no better situation for Hardaway Jr. than with the Heat. With the focal gravity that players like Giannis and Bam are going to draw night in and night out, Hardaway Jr. could very well find himself in a position where he will benefit greatly.

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