Miami Heat Roster 2020 Heat Roster

2019-2020 Top Miami Heat Roster Questions

What does Jimmy Butler provide for the Heat?

For Miami, Jimmy Butler represents a phenomenal two-way player who has the ability to score on offense and guard nearly anyone on the defensive end. With Minnesota to start the year, he was their go-to player and averaged 21.3 points while playing with Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns. However, disputes within the team drove him out of town and into Philadelphia where he had a realistic shot of making a deep playoff run. A shallow bench and the heroics of Kawhi Leonard eventually knocked them out as he continues to search for his first ring.

With the Heat, Butler immediately becomes the top player without a doubt. He’ll be given a large leash to shoot and play heavy minutes under coach Eric Spoelstra. That could pay huge dividends as Butler could average roughly 22 or 23 points on any given night. He’s in the prime of his career and will give Miami a great attraction for other stars to potentially sign on next year. He’ll get the opportunity to be the first option and lead a team on his own which might explain his intention to not return to the 76ers or any other contender.

What to expect from #13 pick, Tyler Herro

The Heat didn’t have too many picks in last year’s draft but they did have the #13 overall selection. With that pick, they took Tyler Herro out of Kentucky who quickly moved up the draft board due to his shooting ability. He found success throughout the season shooting from everywhere on the court and quickly made himself a staple in John Calipari’s rotation. He was the team’s best shooter, netting 14 points and 2.5 assists each contest.

For the NBA, he’s a below sized guard though he’s got the ability to shoot which all teams love. For Miami, he looks to make a great outside shooter or driving threat which should play well given their other players. The defense may need some work, especially the physicality, though he’s capable enough to go against skilled players. In his rookie season, look for him to develop his shot and be a stable defender.

How will the absences of Hassan Whiteside and Josh Richardson impact Miami?

In the Jimmy Butler deal, the Miami Heat had to pursue a sign-and-trade which sent out Hassan Whiteside and Josh Richardson. In losing Whiteside to Portland, Miami is giving up their starting center and possibly their only player who could put up double-doubles. However, his skillset is very questionable as he’s been on a downward slide for the past few years. After a career year in the 2016-17 season where he averaged 17 points and 14.1 rebounds, he dropped down to 12.3 points and 11.3 rebounds last year. While those aren’t significant differentials, the Heat was a team that needed those points and boards and Whiteside simply didn’t produce. He’ll get a fresh start with Portland where he hopes to fight for the starting center job or see Jusuf Nurkic move to the power forward position.

Josh Richardson represents another big blow for Miami as they’re seeing their top scorer from last season now join the 76ers. While his stats don’t look very impressive, he was a fairly efficient player at the small forward position and was one of the offense’s few playmakers. However to keep him, the Heat had a choice to either use him as a 6th man or shift him to the shooting guard position in favor of Tyler Herro. They went with neither as the remaining $32.6 million left on his contract was too much to bear.