Scoring/shooting
Not only can Markkanen beef up the lineup with his size, but he has a lot of scoring/shooting finesse for a big. His 40% from 3-point range this past season and and 37.5% from his career would unleash scary hours with coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation. Markkanen’s floor spreading ability would make it easier for the rest of the Heat core to attack the paint and create offense.
He is well respected as a shooter, but he is also a dominant scorer all-around. Markkanen averaged a career-high 25.6 points two seasons ago on route to the league’s Most Improved Player of the Year award. The Heat haven’t had a 25+ point scorer ever since LeBron James back in the 2013-2014 season.
That is the second longest drought for a team without an individual scorer of that caliber in the entire league, outside of the Orlando Magic. Miami was also in the lower half of offensive efficiency last season. Clearly, Markkanen’s scoring talents can factor into changing that quickly.