(Photo courtesy of the Miami Heat // Twitter)
We are officially less than one month away from the start of training camp. The season is right around the corner, and the Miami Heat will have lofty expectations after acquiring two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer.
We know the Greek Freak — as well as Bam Adebayo — will lead the charge. But for Miami to accomplish what they want to accomplish (an NBA championship), it will be a team-wide effort. Who are some of their most important players heading into the new season?
Here are five!
Andrew Wiggins:
Skinny: You could outline a number of different players as X-Factors for the upcoming season — which we will do below — but Wiggins is one of the more obvious choices. The Heat extended the 6-foot-7 forward earlier this offseason, hoping to capture the play that he showcased for multiple stretches last season.
Wiggins was productive in his first full season in Miami, averaging 15.4 points on a career-best 41.4 percent from 3-point range. But how he blends offensively alongside Antetokounmpo and Adebayo will be quite important.
At times, the Heat asked him to create too much for himself last season. That’s not his game, and it’s not what anyone should want from him in a more scaled-down role.
It will be key for the Heat to minimize those situations. All Wiggins needs to do is hit open threes, rebound and defend, and as we’ve seen in Golden State and Miami, his impact is louder when he hones in on those three phases.
Bobby Portis:
Skinny: Portis is no longer the Heat’s lone backup big, as they signed Nick Richards to a one-year non-guaranteed deal last week. Though Richards projects to be more of an insurance big than a rotational player to begin the season. So Portis’ play in a bench role will be magnified.
Acquired in the Antetokounmpo blockbuster, Portis averaged 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds on 48.8 percent shooting and a remarkable 45.6 percent from 3-point range last year. He’s an accomplished 3-point shooter on moderate volume. Portis, a one-time champion, is also a respectable rebounder.
Though Portis’ drawback is that he’s a catastrophically bad defender. That may not be a major issue because of the Heat’s plethora of good defenders, but he must excel at the “big man things” (screen, rebound, etc.) to successfully bridge minutes when Adebayo’s not on the floor.
Skinny: When Larsson’s opportunity grew in his sophomore NBA season, so did his play. Starting in 54 of his 70 games, he averaged 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 49.6 percent shooting and 60.5 percent true shooting.
Larsson, 25, is entering a contract season. He’s one of the Heat’s best defenders, and he’s spent a chunk of his offseason with Sweden for FIBA World Cup qualifiers, where he’s accumulated plenty of lead guard reps. Larsson is the perfect complementary player for a team competing for a title, and I’m expecting him to take another leap heading into his third NBA season.
Davion Mitchell:
Skinny: Mitchell might be the Heat’s head of the snake defensively, but they will need him to shine as bright offensively.
Outside of Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better ballhandler and passer on this roster. Larsson’s a good connective playmaker; Nikola Jovic is also another very skilled passer.
Other than them, it’s slim pickings.
That doesn’t mean others won’t improve that element of their game, though it does mean that Mitchell’s playmaking — and occasional shotmaking from deep — will be a necessity for this offense. He’s excellent at generating paint touches and collapsing a defense — and he’s also improved at organizing an offense.
The Heat’s foremost goal should be to make life for Antetokounmpo and Adebayo easier offensively. Mitchell’s continued growth as a ballhandler and playmaker is the golden key to make that happen. (The same can be said for Larsson.)
Health:
Skinny: Well, duh! Water is wet, and the sky is also blue!
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