Do the Miami Heat have enough at point guard?
Q: The Heat released Jamaree Bouyea and kept all these guys? – Jason.
A: Don’t disagree. Yes, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo will handle plenty. But beyond Kyle Lowry, this roster is lacking the type of point guard to step forward on the nights Lowry sits and perhaps another ballhandler is limited. There still is time for something else beyond Dru Smith. It seemingly remains worth investigating. It had to be more than Damian Lillard or bust this offseason.
Q: Ira, how long do you wait on a prospect? Jamal Cain has been here for two years. – Inez.
A: Actually, Jamal Cain has been with the Heat for just one year, the same amount of time as Orlando Robinson. And while Orlando loaded up with numbers during summer league, I’m not sure that Jamal ever was featured to that degree. That is the exact premise of two-way contracts – good enough for some time in the NBA, but also needing development time in the G League. But this also is a league where you constantly have to prove yourself until you get that first multiyear deal. That is where Jamal stands, without a guarantee of being with the Heat once the season starts. That will come down to how the Heat assess his preseason and his practice-court work, how they assess the others on the roster in the same situation, and, perhaps even more significantly, how they assess others who come free elsewhere at the Oct. 23 cutdown deadline. Two-way contacts are fluid. All three could change (Jamal Cain, Dru Smith, R.J. Hampton) before the season starts. Fright night in San Antonio, though, was a step forward for Jamal.
Q: The whale stuff has run its course. It’s very unlikely Heat will find an available player and a GM willing to work with them. Most stars by far are draft picks, some early picks like Joel Embiid, some later picks like Giannis Antetokounmpo/Nikola Jokic. It’s time to value draft picks and develop them. – Jon.
A: Or just wait on Luka Doncic. The reality is you can do both, develop your picks, which also further develops their value for a potential trade. There is nothing wrong with thinking big while also working prudently. The Heat appear to be in that phase at the moment.
