NBA Team Previews: Miami Heat

This article is part of our NBA Team Previews series.

STATE OF THE FRANCHISE
Heat fans have enjoyed four-straight appearances in the Finals but were knocked down a peg with the cataclysmic offseason loss of four-time MVP LeBron James this offseason when James decided to return home to Cleveland. Still a formidable team in the East, a new era of Heat basketball will have to be ushered in by the remnants of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Of course, the duo will get assistance from the newly-acquired Luol Deng, Josh McRoberts, and Danny Granger. Coach Erik Spoelstra will continue to lead the team and might have the biggest challenge of his career ahead of him without the reliability of James on the court. The most problematic part of Miami's roster composition is that the majority of players on the team are above the age of 28. Norris Cole, Shabazz Napier, and James Ennis represent the only problem with having sustained success every year; low draft picks. While this poses a problem for the Heat's long-term viability, a roster composed of aging veterans will provide fantasy options aplenty.

PLAYING TIME DISTRIBUTION
Chalmers stands to be the breadwinner at point guard yet again this season with Norris Cole also getting ample time off the bench in relief of Chalmers. A new wrinkle in this playing time distribution is the addition of Napier. The 23-year-old carries about as much experience as any rookie could, being a two-time national champion over four years at UConn, but he may ultimately be on the outside looking in with the already established duo of Chalmers and Cole likely to dominate the minutes at point guard. Wade will get all the minutes he can handle at shooting guard, although we've seen Spoelstra handle his minutes with caution over the last few seasons. Mixing in at shooting guard and small forward will be the resurrected Danny Granger, and his minutes will hinge on the reliability of Wade and Deng ahead of him. Ennis is a long shot to see significant time on the court at small forward along with Shawne Williams. A surprise from last season, McRoberts will start at power forward for the Heat, only giving way to Udonis Haslem's minimal minutes. Finally, Bosh may ultimately play more minutes this upcoming season than he has since joining the Heat back in 2010. During Bosh's breaks on the bench, Chris Andersen seems to be the likely replacement with Justin Hamilton also an enticing three point threat at 6-11.

PLAYER OUTLOOKS

Centers

Chris Bosh: Bosh flirted with leaving Miami in the offseason but ultimately decided to stay with the Heat for his 12th season and accepted a five-year deal worth $118 million. As his contract should denote, the 30-year-old is in line to take on a larger role with the team after the infamous departure of LeBron James from South Beach back to Cleveland this offseason. Last season, Bosh played in 79 games and averaged 16.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block, and 0.9 three-pointers in 32 minutes per game. However, with the new roster in Miami, Bosh will have a golden opportunity to revert back to his days in Toronto when his averages were considerably higher in all categories except for three-pointers. Potential roadblocks in this happening are how much Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng will be able to contribute throughout the course of the season. In addition to this, the comparable skills of Josh McRoberts, who has his career on the upturn, may be able to take some pressure and offensive possessions off of Bosh's plate. Nevertheless, the former Georgia Tech standout is capable of contributing in all categories and should have an exciting season in front of him as a vital player for the Heat organization and fantasy teams.

Adventures of Christopher Bosh in the Multiverse! from Borscht on Vimeo.

Justin Hamilton: Hamilton is entering his sophomore season in the NBA. He split his rookie season between Charlotte and Miami and averaged 3.3 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 threes in nine minutes per game through just eight appearances. As last season's stat line suggests, the 24-year-old will have a hard time finding playing time under head coach Erik Spoelstra in 2014-15. However, Hamilton did perform well as the Heat's starting center in the Las Vegas Summer League and finished the competition averaging 15.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks through eight games. Even so, the 24-year-old is buried on the depth chart behind Chris Bosh, Josh McRoberts, Udonis Haslem, and Chris Andersen. Hamilton's most redemptive quality is that he can shoot from long range as a big man, but unfortunately for him, that's something that Bosh and McRoberts are already well versed in. If nothing else, the former LSU Tiger can spend the season learning from those two frontcourt veterans who can teach him how to maneuver the three-point line while still handling their obligations underneath the rim.

Forwards

Luol Deng: Deng signed a two-year deal in the offseason to become a member of the Miami Heat. Of course, Deng's acquisition is an attempt to do the impossible job of filling the hole left by LeBron James. Since trying to compare the two doesn't make much sense, Deng will use his 11th season in the NBA to usher in a new era of Miami basketball while partnering with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He started last season in Chicago and ended it in Cleveland, averaging 16.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.1 blocks, and 0.9 threes on 35 minutes per game. With a new role in South Beach, just because he can't replicate the play of James doesn't mean that Deng won't have the opportunity to improve upon his numbers from last season. The 29-year-old should be an integral part of the Heat's offense this season as he'll look to avoid injuries that limited his availability to 63 games in 2013-14. His prior history in the league has proven that the native of England can contribute in all categories, and there's no reason why that shouldn't be the case In his tenure in Miami.

Josh McRoberts: McRoberts agreed to sign with the Heat early in the offseason and will now spend his seventh season in the NBA under coach Erik Spoelstra. The 27-year-old was a crucial player for the Bobcats last season as he averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.3 three-pointers in 30 minutes per game. He managed to stay relatively healthy in 2013-14 while playing in 78 games, and for all intents and purposes, it was the most productive season of his career in the NBA. Most notable was his spike in three-pointers, where his previous season best was only 0.4 per game as it jumped to a whopping 1.3 last season. Miami is hoping that McRoberts can continue this progression, as he's the likeliest candidate to start at power forward this season. The former Duke Blue Devil will be backed up by the capable but aging Udonis Haslem and will start alongside Chris Bosh at center. Since both McRoberts and Bosh can play either of the frontcourt positions and shoot the ball from deep, whether they slot into the four or five may not matter in the end. McRoberts will certainly get considerable time on the court this season, but he ultimately might give way to Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, and Bosh on the offensive side of the ball.

Danny Granger: Granger will spend his 10th season in the league playing for the Heat. He managed to spend time with three franchises last season (Pacers, Clippers, and Sixers) but will likely be an integral piece off the bench for the transitional Heat team. Last season, the pride of the University of New Mexico averaged 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 1.1 three-pointers in 21 minutes per game. The 31-year-old still hasn't fully redeemed himself from the career-stunting knee injury that he suffered back in the 2012-13 season and will look to carve out a defined role on the Heat as a wing three-point threat. He'll come onto the court in relief of either Dwyane Wade or Luol Deng and should be comparable to Mike Miller or Ray Allen's previous roles on the team, albeit with a little more pep in his step and offensive and defensive flexibility. While the best days of Granger's career are almost certainly behind him, the current Miami depth chart denotes that he'll be a significant part of the rotation while receiving an abundant amount of three-point opportunities.

Udonis Haslem: Haslem decided to return to the Heat in the offseason for his 12th season in the NBA. After only playing in 46 games last season, the 34-year-old averaged 3.8 points, 0.3 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 14 minutes per contest. The Florida Gator has been a staple of Miami Heat basketball over the past decade, but last season's averages prove that Haslem is very limited in what he can contribute to the team at this point in his career. He's been on a steady decline statistically for the past seven seasons, even though that descent didn't start from all that high up to begin with, as his best season averages came in 2007-08 when he finished with 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Beyond providing veteran leadership and short bursts of toughness playing behind Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts this season, Haslem doesn't stand to contribute much else from a statistical standpoint.

James Ennis: Ennis was drafted by the Hawks with the 50th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft but was then traded to the Heat. He spent the gap year playing abroad in Australia and Puerto Rico, all the while waiting for the Heat to create roster space for the 24-year-old. The pride of Long Beach State excelled In his season in Australia and ultimately finished third in MVP voting while averaging 21.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He then spent a short time in Puerto Rico before participating in the NBA's summer league. Ennis exceeded expectations in six summer league performances as he shot 48 percent from the field with averages of 15.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. At times, he looked better on the court than fellow rookie Shabazz Napier and gave coach Erik Spoelstra reason to believe he could contribute to the Heat's rotation this season. While his expectations for this season should still be curbed, he has an outside chance at proving he deserves time off the bench if he's able to duplicate some of the outings we've seen from him overseas and in the summer league this past season.

Shawne Williams: Williams will play his eighth season in the NBA as a new member of the Heat after he signed a fully-guaranteed contract in the offseason. Playing for the Lakers last season, he averaged 5.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers in 21 minutes per game. It's important to remember that the Lakers threw out some desperate lineups last season while dealing with injuries, so Williams would be hard pressed to see that much playing time while with the Heat this season. His main obstacle from seeing the court will be the fact that multiple players are currently ahead of him on the depth chart at both small forward and power forward. Jumping the likes of Luol Deng, Danny Granger, Josh McRoberts, and Udonis Haslem don't seem plausible, leaving the 28-year-old on the outside looking in. On top of that, Williams only played 36 games last season and seriously lacks the consistency that the Heat will need this season after they regroup from the departure of LeBron James. Despite being a veteran, the former Memphis standout will ultimately have a limited role on the Heat this season.

Guards

Dwyane Wade: Wade is entering the 12th season of his career. The current all-time leading scorer for the Heat signed a two-year deal in the offseason and will try to usher in a new era of Miami basketball without LeBron James. At 32-years-old, Wade dealt with knee injuries throughout last season and was limited to just 54 games. The former Marquette Golden Eagle managed to average 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 0.2 three-pointers per contest last season, but he'll be asked to contribute more this upcoming season. Wade's health will be crucial for the Heat in 2014-15, and he addressed this in the offseason by losing weight with the Paleo diet to help reduce the stress on his knees. His production has been on the decline over the past six seasons, but he'll be at the forefront the Heat's offense alongside Chris Bosh and Luol Deng. Even with lingering knee problems and the decline in production recently, Wade has proven he can contribute in almost every category. Contrary to most shooting guards, he's averaged one block per game during his career while shooting a measly 28 percent from beyond the arc In that same time span.

Mario Chalmers: Chalmers is entering his sixth season in the NBA after completing a two-year deal in the offseason to remain in Miami. In 29 minutes per game last season, he averaged 9.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers. The former Kansas Jayhawk is now a veteran and will have to take ownership of the LeBron James-sized hole left in the Heat's rotation. While he won't be solely responsible for the task of trying to replace James, the 28-year-old Chalmers may see more opportunities on the offensive side of the ball this season. He's spent the majority of his career yielding to the Big 3 in Miami and could now take on more of a role distributing the leather. With the oft-injured Dwyane Wade slowing down, this may become even more true for Chalmers needing to take on some the burden of the Heat's backcourt duties in 2014-15. He seems like the obvious starting point guard at this point, but if the team struggles, Chalmers might be looking over his shoulder at Norris Cole and Shabazz Napier, who may be able to offer head coach Erik Spoelstra more offensive firepower than Chalmers. However, the incumbent starting point guard has claimed his worth on the defensive side of the basketball, where he's finished in the top 20 of steals per game for the past three seasons.

Norris Cole: Cole has spent his entire three-year career playing for the Heat. Last season, he averaged 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 three-pointers in 25 minutes per game. The 25-year-old has come off the bench in relief of Mario Chalmers his whole career and will likely do more of the same this upcoming season. One could certainly argue that Cole provides more offensive flexibility to the Heat backcourt when he's on the court, but Chalmers provides Miami with a veteran defensive aggressor. New to the backcourt mix this season is the addition of rookie Shabazz Napier. The former Connecticut player showed a lot of potential in college and will try to steal some of Cole's playing time as he gets his feet wet in the NBA. At this point, Cole seems to have the edge over Napier, although Napier will have a chance this season to prove that he deserves a spot in the rotation, thus threatening Cole's current spot as a burst of offensive energy off the bench. The Cleveland State product did a solid job of contributing across the statistical board last season and might be an interesting option in fantasy this season if he's able to carve out more time on the court than the 25 minutes per game he was given last season.

Shabazz Napier: Napier was drafted by the Hornets with the 24th-overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft but was immediately traded to the Heat. The rookie may have ultimately ended up in Miami to entice LeBron James to stay with the Heat since the King openly remarked his praise for the product of Connecticut. Even with the departure of James, Napier stands a chance to receive time in the backcourt this season behind Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole. The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 2014 seems to be currently positioned behind the likes of Chalmers and Cole and will have to spend the season proving to head coach Erik Spoelstra that he deserves a spot in the rotation. The aforementioned point guards in front of him aren't necessarily the stiffest competition when you take a look around the league, but Napier struggled in the Las Vegas Summer League, shooting just 27 percent over five games, and now faces an uphill battle for playing time this season. Despite all of this, the 23-year-old was a two-time national champion and willed his UConn team through the NCAA tournament last season. His slow start may be concerning, but he seems to possess the tools that can be refined into a decent NBA player In his rookie campaign.

Shannon Brown: Brown signed a one-year contract with the Heat in the offseason. He'll spend his ninth season in league playing a limited role off the bench. With both the Knicks and the Kings last season, he averaged 2.2 points, 1.0 rebound, 0.3 assists, and 0.4 steals through 29 games. At nine minutes per contest, the 28-year-old didn't leave much evidence as to why he would deserve a spot in the Heat's rotation this season and will likely provide limited contributions in Miami as a result. On top of that, he'll be stacked up against Reggie Williams and Tyler Johnson all season in practice to see which of the three deserves the honor of backing up a backup in Danny Granger. Dwyane Wade will steal most of the spotlight at shooting guard this season, leaving guys like Brown with little room for relevancy.

Reggie Williams: Williams signed a one-year contract with the Heat In the offseason and will now spend his sixth season in the NBA residing in South Beach. He only managed to play in three games last season for the Thunder and doesn't stand much of a chance to see time on the court in a Heat uniform either. Over the course of those three games, the 27-year-old averaged 3.7 points, 0.3 assists, and 0.3 steals in six minutes per game. Sometimes a fresh start in a new city does wonders for a player's career, but that shouldn't be the case for the former Virginia Military Institute standout as he's third in the pecking order at shooting guard behind Dwyane Wade and Danny Granger. Of course those two players have proven over the past few seasons that they're prone to injury, so there's a small window of opportunity available for Williams to back his way into a spot in the rotation. Even so, there's not much evidence over the course of Williams' career that would suggest he'd thrive if given the opportunity anyway.

Tyler Johnson: Johnson earned a spot on the Heat after an impressive stretch of games playing in both the Orlando Pro Summer League and the Las Vegas Summer League for the Heat. In 11 games, he averaged 12.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 22 minutes per game. The rookie did enough to impress head coach Erik Spoelstra this summer, but the graduate of Fresno State may ultimately be the last guy on the bench this season for the Heat. Entering the season with an unguaranteed contract will likely pose problems for the 22-year-old's long-term status with Miami. It's not impossible to imagine him in a Heat uniform all season, although it seems like a foregone conclusion that he'll struggle to see much NBA action in 2014-15.

SLEEPER

Mario Chalmers: Chalmers has quite a bit to gain with the departure of James. Most notably, Spoelstra may need the 28-year-old to handle the ball and create offense at the point more than ever before. Ultimately, the benefit would be an uptick in assists. During four games without James in the lineup last season, Chalmers averaged 8.0 assists per game. His value up until this point has come from his elite steals and modest contributions from beyond the arc. If his assist numbers do in fact improve, Chalmers' once marginal utility will retroactively make him a must-own player in virtually every league.

BUST

Dwyane Wade: Wade has seen his production drop steadily over the past six seasons. Last season culminated with an average of just 19.0 points per game, the first time he's averaged below 20 ppg in his career. Without James as a crutch, Wade will be asked to carry a heavier load this season, but the 32-year-old has had recurring knee issues resulting in significant time away from the court over the last three seasons. By all means, he should still be owned in nearly every league, but Wade is certainly not the player of old who could be counted on to be the cornerstone of a fantasy squad.