The Miami Heat made a ton of offseason moves this summer. A large part of the team’s focus went into acquiring talented players at each position that would fit well alongside Heat stars Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside.
They also made moves to help fill the void left by Dwyane Wade and other significant departures. Many of these new additions have shown the type of potential in the past that will help them make the team’s final roster before it gets trimmed to 15 players at the end of October.
To help keep track of all the fresh-faced talent on Miami’s roster, here is a breakdown of the 10 new players that will be sporting Heat uniforms for the first time in 2016-17.
Luke Babbitt (Forward)
6-foot-9, 225 lbs
2016-17 salary: $1,227,286
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Luke Babbitt is a former first-round draft pick who played his first three seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and the following three seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is essentially a stretch four who can play both the three and four position. The Heat likely brought in Babbitt to help space the floor, considering he’s the size of your average power forward but knocks down the long ball like a shooting guard.
He is a career 40.3 percent 3-point shooter which bodes well for a Heat team that has struggled mightily with its 3-point shooting over the last several years. It’s unclear how significant Babbitt’s role will be in the upcoming season, though he was a starter in Tuesday night’s preseason game.
Next: Keith Benson
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Keith Benson (Forward/Center)
6-foot-11, 240 lbs
2016-17 salary: $874,636
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Keith Benson has spent his entire career drifting back and forth from the D-League to various overseas teams. Last season, he played for the Heat’s D-League affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce. Though he may be a long shot to make the Heat’s final roster, he’s an interesting project piece for Miami to work on. He will likely spend time guarding Whiteside in practice, while honing his own skills in an NBA atmosphere. To his credit, he has slowly improved over the years; he finally became a D-League All-Star last year, then went on to help his team win the D-League championship.
Next: Wayne Ellington
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Wayne Ellington (Guard)
6-foot-4, 201 lbs
2016-17 salary: $5,867,971
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Sharpshooter Wayne Ellington was a nice pickup for the Heat in the offseason. He’s the highest paid player on this list for a reason. This is a guy who’s carved himself out a decent career as a 3-point specialist. In the last two seasons alone, he’s made 186 3-pointers. Again, the Heat have struggled with the three-ball for some time now and Ellington was brought in to help shore up some of those deficiencies.
Because the Heat are attempting to surround Whiteside with shooters this season, Ellington will likely see significant minutes in 2016-17. This is a guy who has played for eight teams in eight years, so one can expect that he will do everything in his power to finally prove to a team that he’s worth holding onto.
Next: Stefan Jankovic
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Stefan Jankovic (Forward)
6-foot-11, 235 lbs
2016-17 salary: $543,471
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Former Big West Player of the Year Stefan Jankovic went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. That was a pleasant surprise to the Heat front office:
“We thought he would be a late second-round pick,” Heat executive Chet Kammerer said. “What intrigued us was the fact at 6-foot-11, he’s a very skilled player. I think he’s really got a great touch.”
Jankovic may be an undrafted rookie, but the Heat have high hopes for him based on his size and outside shooting potential. He’s yet another offseason acquisition for the Heat that can shoot the three. Starting to see a trend here? Jankovic hopes to earn a spot somewhere on the Heat’s roster by late October, but it may be tough for him to do so considering the amount of big men the team already has. Regardless, the Heat see potential here and may delegate him to a role with their D-League affiliate in order to keep him close by in case they wish to call him up at some point in the future.
Next: James Johnson
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James Johnson (Forward)
6-foot-9, 250 lbs
2016-17 salary: $4,000,000
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The oldest player on this list, James Johnson, is an experienced veteran who’s played in nearly 400 NBA games. Though he’s never been one to post gaudy numbers, he’s a reliable power forward that can defend the three, four and five. He can even knock down the occasional 3-point shot when need be. Johnson last played for the Toronto Raptors and somehow always finds a way to help his teams succeed. Johnson will most likely come off the bench at power forward and provide solid minutes and experience for a very young Heat team looking to prove themselves in the post Big 3 era.
Next: Rodney McGruder
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Rodney McGruder (Guard)
6-foot-4, 205 lbs
2016-17 salary: $543,471
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After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, Rodney McGruder spent a season overseas with the Hungarian team, Atomerőmű SE. Since then, he’s moved back to the States where he’s spent the last two years honing his game in the D-League. The quick-cutting McGruder has shown flashes of what he can do on the court, but may be another project piece for the Heat. Miami is very deep at shooting guard right now, and it will be tough for McGruder to make much headway.
In Game 1 of last year’s Skyforce championship run, McGruder put the team on his back by scoring 30 points and pulling down 11 rebounds en route to the team’s first ever D-League title. Heat scouts clearly like what they saw from the young man because they signed him to a three-year, partially guaranteed contract in the offseason.
Next: Willie Reed
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Willie Reed (Forward)
6-foot-10, 220 lbs
2016-17 salary: $1,015,696
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Willie Reed averaged just under 11 minutes per game in his first NBA season with the Brooklyn Nets last year. Despite the low-minute count, he still managed to be productive, averaging 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting over 57 percent from the field. What’s more impressive is that he finished the season with a well-above-average Player Efficiency Rating of 19.22.
Reed will battle for a starting role at power forward this season, but so far, head coach Erik Spoelstra likes what he sees in the big man:
“He has a great motor. I really like the pace of play that he brings out there,” Spoelstra told the Miami Herald during training camp. “He’s aggressive on the offensive glass. He’s an aggressive pick-and-roll player, brings a great energy out there on the court. He’s vocal. We’ve had success with bigs like that.”
His toughness, energy and grit have already drawn comparisons to his teammate Udonis Haslem, which is a good sign. Right now, Reed must continue honing his game and, in particular, learn to become a better free-throw shooter.
Next: Dion Waiters
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Dion Waiters (Guard)
6-foot-4, 220 lbs
2016-17 salary: $2,898,000
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A 6-foot-4, 220-pound shooting guard in a Heat uniform? No, not “D-Wade,” but rather a different “DW.” Dion Waiters is the frontrunner to start at the two-guard ahead of Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson and is impressing coaches and teammates alike. However, Waiters has some massive shoes to fill after the departure of Wade.
The former first-round draft pick spent the last few seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder and before that, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Excluding his 2015-16 season, in which he struggled to find his role alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Waiters has never finished a season averaging less than 10 points a game.
He holds career averages of 12.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Those numbers are sure to rise significantly in his first season as one of Miami’s primary offensive weapons. Though he understands the legend that came before him in Miami, coach Spoelstra insists he should not concern himself with filling Wade’s shoes. The former Thunder guard has arguably the most potential out of anyone on this list of newcomers.
Next: Okaro White
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Okaro White (Forward)
6-foot-8, 204 lbs
2016-17 salary: $543,471
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After no one picked him in the 2014 NBA Draft, Okaro White spent time playing overseas in Italy, then in Greece where he was named the Greek Basketball League’s Most Spectacular Player. Since then, the former Florida State University guard has played for Miami’s summer league team, where he caught the team’s eye. White is a wing player who can play either forward position, but he desperately needs to put on some more weight if he hopes to compete at the NBA level. He has a respectable 3-point shot, but he may be a long shot to make the team’s final roster.
Next: Derrick Williams
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Derrick Williams (Forward)
6-foot-8, 240 lbs
2016-17 salary: $4,598,000
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Derrick Williams is a former second overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. He played three relatively successful seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, spent two years with the Sacramento Kings, then played his most recent season with the New York Knicks. He holds career averages of 9.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, though he’s never averaged more than 25 minutes of playing time per game in any season he’s played.
Williams has a chance to prove himself in Miami as he may very well be the team’s starting power forward once the season kicks off. Despite playing six years in the NBA, Williams is only 25 years old and just starting to really come into his own. Last season, he posted career highs in field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage and assists per game. Though he must continue to hone his offensive game (a career 43.3 percent shooter and 30 percent 3-point shooter) Williams is a prospect with a lot of upside and great versatility.
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