Roster Restructuring: 3 Heat players whose roles are guaranteed to change next season
After the Miami Heat saw young players exceed expectations last season and Caleb Martin walk away in free agency, they will need to make some adjustments. The offseason didn’t bring many changes in the way of outside help partly because of Miami’s already-bloated payroll. So this is the team right now, with 14 players under standard contracts.
If the Heat want to improve next season, these three players will have to improve in new roles.
1. Jaime Jaquez Jr.
With Caleb Martin gone, Jamie Jaquez Jr. will have more responsibility. Jaquez had the ball in his hands a lot in his two Summer League games, suggesting he could be used on the ball more next season.
Jaquez was used as the lead ball-handler in pick-and-rolls with rookie center Kel’el Ware, and it should be no surprise that the second-year player dominated in Las Vegas. However, he did have five turnovers, but the point of Summer League is to work on your game. Miami doesn’t have a pure point guard on the roster, and instead has multiple ball handlers who can create offense. Jaquez will get a lot of reps this season with the ball in his hands.
Defensively, Jaquez still needs to improve to help the Heat replace Martin, but he offers similar size and athleticism and should get better on that end.
It looks like Jaquez will be Miami’s Swiss army knife. Giving him more responsibility will only help improve his game. Year 2 will be an essential year for Jaquez’s development.
2. Nikola Jovic
Miami didn’t expect much from Nikola Jovic last season but, because of injuries, the Heat were forced to thrust the second-year forward into the mix. Jovic passed with flying colors, emerging as the team’s starting power forward by the end of the season.
Jovic shot the ball well (39.9%) and is one of the few guys on the roster who looks to push the ball up the floor. Defensively, he understands team defense and can stay in front of his man. It was a pleasant surprise from Jovic last season. Now that we all see that Jovic can be a starter, I want to see a leap from Jovic in this upcoming season.
Like Jaquez, Jovic should see the ball in his hands more next season. Although he dabbled with playmaking last season, Jovic was used mostly as a spacer. But his pace and passing chops could help Miami create more consistent offense.
3. Bam Adebyao
Like Dwyane Wade coming off his 2008 Olympics run, Bam Adebayo may also be in for a career year after his stint with Team USA this summer.
The biggest swing factor for Adebayo is his 3-point shooting. He finally started to expand his game to the 3-point line last season and is shooting more for Team USA, including going 3 for 5 in the team’s friendly against Serbia this week.
If the Heat are to improve their half-court offense, Adebayo’s outside shooting will be a big part of that. If Adebayo can make 3s consistently, it will draw his defender away from the rim and provide more spacing to Miami’s offense and keep the defense honest.
After drafting Ware, the Heat are expected to experiment with Adebayo and Ware playing together in the front court. We could see Adebayo playing more as a power forward than ever, which would allow him to roam as a free safety defender, block more shots and provide weakside help defense.
With Jimmy Butler turning 35 in September, it’s time for Adebayo to take the reigns as Miami’s best player.
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