How will Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and the Miami Heat do in 2016-17?
Here are our player scouting reports and analysis.
Projected starters
Goran Dragic
Position: Guard
Experience: 8 years
Age: 31
Scouting report
+ Pick-and-roll dynamo with a knack for getting into the lane and to the line
+ Assist game depending on drive-and-kick skills
+ Good in transition, at his best in up-tempo attack with the ball in his hands
Analysis
In 2013-14, Dragic finished with 10.9 WARP (18th in the NBA) and put up an RPM of plus-5.50. More and more, that season is looking like an outlier in Dragic's career and, now that he has reached 30 years old, it's not a campaign he's likely to replicate. Dragic was on top of all facets of his inside-outside game that season and was fully empowered by former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek to run the pick-and-roll and dominate the offense with his drive-and-kick game.
That hasn't been the case since Dragic arrived in Miami, where he found himself playing with Heat legend Dwyane Wade, who also requires a certain amount of having the ball in his hands. According to NBA.com/stats, Dragic averaged 18.8 points and 7.3 assists per 36 minutes, with a 25.3 percent usage rate and a 54.7 percent true shooting percentage last season when Wade wasn't on the court.
Those numbers are a marked increase over Dragic's overall numbers, though they still fall well shy of his career season in Phoenix. Now that Wade is in Chicago, Dragic will once again hold the keys to an NBA offense and coach Erik Spoelstra is smart enough to put him in the best possible position. Over the summer, Spoelstra talked of pushing the tempo with Dragic at the center of a revved up transition game with young wings Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow filling the passing lanes. If Dragic is capable of putting up another 10-plus WARP kind of season at this stage of his career, this is the season we'll find out.
Part of Dragic's peak in Phoenix was fueled by 3-point shooting that was well above career norms. He hit 40.8 percent from deep in his final season but was down to 31.2 percent last season. His career baseline is around 35 percent, though SCHOENE sees him continuing to go in the wrong direction. He also saw an alarming drop in foul-drawing rate. Dragic has long been one of the best players in the league when it comes to worming his way into the paint.
While Dragic remains an efficient finisher, either his foul-drawing or deep shooting needs to bounce back, or he'll become a high-volume, low-efficiency ball dominator at the center of Miami's attack. The Heat just invested a lot of money to keep young point guard Tyler Johnson, and given the turnover on Miami's roster, Dragic could end up in the trade market whether he bounces back or not.
Josh Richardson
Position: Guard
Experience: 1 year
Age: 23
Scouting report
+ Smooth, rangy combo player with exciting catch-and-shoot skills
+ Very good off the ball but needs to develop shot-creation ability to play full time
+ Good athlete and plus defender with ability to play in different kinds of lineups
Analysis
Talk about a whirlwind year. In less than 12 months, Richardson went from being a second-rounder as the 40th pick of the 2015 draft to Dwyane Wade's successor in Miami.
As much as Richardson impressed the Heat with his rookie-season play, and as great as the opportunity appears to be now with Wade gone, his actual contribution could come down to his knee. Richardson suffered a partial tear in his right MCL late in the summer. While he's projected to return perhaps even by the start of the regular season, he's starting his sophomore pro season in a hole.
Richardson was facing a spirited battle to win the starting spot next to Goran Dragic as it was. Miami has veterans Dion Waiters and Wayne Ellington on the depth chart at his position, not to mention fellow young guard Tyler Johnson, he of the new $50 million contract. Still, before the injury, Richardson seemed well positioned to start above them all.
To begin with, Richardson projects as the best off-the-ball shooter on the Miami roster. As a rookie, he hit 46.1 percent from deep, a figure that probably isn't sustainable but isn't entirely misleading, either. SCHOENE puts Richardson at 39.7 percent this season, the 10th-best forecast among 2-guards. According to Synergy Sports Technologies, Richardson ranked in the top 3 percent of all players in catch-and-shoot situations and had an amazing 66.2 effective field goal percentage when contested.
Richardson isn't all spot-up, however. He has enough ball skills to run the point for a shift here and there and shows potential with his off-the-bounce game if he can finish a little more efficiently around the basket. Richardson's defense was OK for a rookie and demonstrated he could reach the upper tier. His defensive RPM (minus-0.36) was fine for a first-year wing, and in a lineup next to Justise Winslow he gives Miami the potential for one of the top defensive wing duos around.
Richardson has enough length and athleticism to slide over to 3 in small lineups, something coach Erik Spoelstra might like to do a lot this season. In that configuration, Richardson, Johnson, Winslow and Dragic can really push the pace while Hassan Whiteside locks down the defensive interior and becomes an half-court option when the fast break bogs down.
First, though, Richardson has to get healthy. As a second-rounder, he hits the restricted free-agent market next summer, the same one that made Johnson so wealthy this past summer.
Justise Winslow
Position: Forward
Experience: 1 year
Age: 21
Scouting report
+ Impact on-ball defender at wing with size to play power forward against many teams
+ Overall offensive game needs to be more efficient and needs to develop a semblance of an outside shot
+ Shows potential as a facilitator but needs to develop shot creation to be more of a threat
Analysis
When you see a player like Winslow slip to Miami at No. 10 in the 2015 draft, you have to feel as if there is no end to Pat Riley's good NBA karma. Winslow did not disappoint, putting up a plus-0.96 defensive RPM that marks him as a future all-defense candidate. According to 82games.com, the Heat were 6.2 points per 100 possessions better on defense when Winslow was on the floor. It's a great starting point for a 20-year-old wing, regardless of where he was drafted.
Winslow's defense is well ahead of his offense at this point, and his summer project was to build himself up on that end. As a rookie, he created little offense (12.5 percent usage rate) and was inefficient with the chances he did get (49.0 true shooting percentage). His strength right now should be running the floor, but he ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in transition on a per-play basis, per Synergy Sports Technologies.
In the half court, Winslow needs to develop a couple of offensive pegs for his game. The Heat tried to use him occasionally to run the pick-and-roll and his development as a full-time 3 in that area is key. He didn't show much ability to beat defenders in isolation and his outside shooting is poor, whether in the catch-and-shoot game or off the dribble. If he can start knocking down some open looks against sagging defenses, you might start seeing a player with exciting ball skills.
Miami can't afford to let Winslow be a quasi-defensive specialist any more, so hopefully his development will come fast. With Chris Bosh almost certainly out again for the Heat, Winslow might have to spend more time playing at the 4 this season. He has the body to hold up against most opposing power forwards as long as they don't take him into the paint. And his athleticism would be a plus at that position in an up-tempo attack.
Josh McRoberts
Position: Forward
Experience: 9 years
Age: 30
Scouting report
+ Former status as an oversized 3-and-D frontcourt option has been undermined by injuries and poor shooting
+ Excellent passer for his position but needs to limit turnovers
+ Days as a high-percentage rebounder and shot-blocker appear to be over
Analysis
Coming off back-to-back injury-riddled lackluster seasons for Miami, McRoberts' stock is as low as it ever has been. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Heat tried to move McRoberts over the summer in an attempt to clear cap space for Dwyane Wade. No one wanted McBob, despite his clearly defined attributes and a reasonable contract that pays him around the midlevel exception.
Now, with Chris Bosh probably out of Miami's plans, McRoberts is the default successor at power forward because, frankly, that's just how the depth chart is set up. Whether coach Erik Spoelstra actually uses McRoberts-at-4 lineups that often is an open question.
McRoberts put up a career-worst .453 true shooting percentage during his 42 games last season. Much of his value is tied to 3-point shooting and shot-blocking, and last season he showed neither. He has little ability to create offense, though he's one of the best passing big men around when used as a facilitator -- SCHOENE gives him the second-best assist rate forecast among power forwards. If he can at least regress to his career rate of 33.6 percent from beyond the arc, his shooting and passing are enough to make him a functional member of a lineup that has shot creators around him. McRoberts' ability to shoot from deep would also enable him to fit next to Hassan Whiteside on the offensive end.
Nevertheless, it has to work on defense, and that's where Spoelstra might get antsy. McRoberts has posted a positive defensive RPM in each of the past four seasons, so it's not that he doesn't add value. He used to be a high-level rebounder, but his percentages in that area have gone missing along with his shot-block rate. He can still defend in a box, but you don't want to leave him alone in space, and that's where playing 4 is problematic. McRoberts might hear his name when the starting lineups are announced this season, but even if he's healthy, his best fit could be as a perimeter-oriented counterpoint behind Whiteside as a backup center.
Hassan Whiteside
Position: Center
Experience: 4 years
Age: 27
Scouting report
+ A generational shot-blocker who must be tracked at all times
+ Ferocious rebounder and high-percentage finisher
+ Needs to discipline his game at both ends of the floor
Analysis
According to SCHOENE, Whiteside projects to lead the league in block rate and finish second in rebound percentage. Still, despite his immense athleticism and length, his percentage defending at the rim was nothing spectacular. According to NBA.com, he wasn't even as good as Josh McRoberts in that regard. Whiteside is clearly an impact defender, but he also needs to be more disciplined about staying within Miami's scheme.
On offense, SCHOENE has handed Whiteside the very worst projected assist rating in the NBA. If he's going to be a true franchise center, he can't be such a black hole on the offensive end. He will get his numbers, but his team will not function near its full potential.
As Whiteside enters his prime seasons, we'd be remiss if we didn't point out the lofty numbers in his game that earned him that contract and make him a worthwhile project. His dunk-heavy arsenal resulted in a 74.4 percent finishing rate at the rim and he has improved as a free throw shooter. Few players get their true shooting percentage over 60 percent and combine it with above-average usage, but Whiteside is there. He's a dynamic finisher in the pick-and-roll and runs the floor exceptionally well for a player his size. One defense, opposing players have to track him at all times because he routinely blocks shot that don't seem blockable.
Whiteside is a rare talent who has gotten to this point in his career playing a certain way to put up certain numbers. He has made it. Now it's time to funnel all that athleticism, size and production into the service of winning. Given the turnover in the Miami roster and his new contract, the Heat's short-term future depends on it.
Reserves
Dion Waiters
Position: Guard
Experience: 4 years
Age: 24
Scouting report
+ Improved catch-and-release shooter
+ Terribly inefficient inside the arc, especially near the basket
+ Solid on-ball defender in isolation and plays the pick-and-roll well
Analysis
He's still only 24 years old as the 2016-17 season dawns, and even though Waiters hits 25 in December, theoretically his prime seasons still lie ahead. Nevertheless, this looms as a crossroads season for the No. 4 pick in the 2012 draft. While the team that drafted him, Cleveland, was celebrating the title it didn't need him to win, Waiters was dangling in restricted free agency. Or at least he was, until his old team, Oklahoma City, rescinded their qualifying offer to him in a move that helped facilitate the extension agreement they eventually reached with Russell Westbrook.
After reportedly shopping himself to teams like Brooklyn, Sacramento and Philadelphia -- lottery teams where he could have found a big role -- it wasn't until July 25 that Waiters inked a one-year, $2.9 million deal with the Heat. The contract has a player option for 2017-18 ($3 million) but he's surely hoping to improve his stature more than that.
Waiters has put up minus-2.4 and minus-2.5 WARP the past two seasons with RPM figures well below break-even on both ends of the floor. Waiters attempted to pare down his game last season for the Thunder but remains wildly inefficient, with a 49.2 true shooting percentage. That was despite some nice catch-and-shoot numbers that should have allowed him to function well off the ball. But he remains a terrible finisher in the paint, last season making only half his shots in the restricted area for the second straight season.
Waiters has a reputation as a decent on-ball defender, though RPM doesn't reflect that. He's a poor rebounder for a guard and there is nothing special about his steal rate. He is however a solid pick-and-roll defender in per-play metrics and locks into opponents in isolation.
Combine those traits with plus shot-creation ability and passing skills that should make him a capable secondary playmaker, and the raw material is there for a rotation player. Given Dwyane Wade's departure and Josh Richardson's preseason knee injury, it could be Waiters who starts the season as Miami's regular shooting guard. It might be his last, best chance to earn the big contract he was hoping to land this past summer.
Tyler Johnson
Position: Guard
Experience: 2 years
Age: 25
Scouting report
+ Athletic, high-ceiling combo guard with plus defensive profile
+ Excellent perimeter shooting who can fill it up off the dribble or when spotting up
+ Miami's future starting point guard but will need to improve as a playmaker
Analysis
The Heat have a history of splashy, big-name acquisitions but the past couple of years, Pat Riley's calling card in the basketball operations realm has been scouting. From former journeyman center Hassan Whiteside to 2015 second-round pick Josh Richardson to 2014 undrafted rookie Tyler Johnson, Riley has put together a nice core of young players that features a single mid-lottery first-rounder in Justise Winslow.
In fact, Riley has been so successful at spotting diamonds in the rough that it has cost him. With Dwyane Wade opting to return to his native Chicago, Riley had little choice but to match Brooklyn's offer to Johnson, a four-year, $50 million deal. If Johnson develops into a starting-caliber NBA point guard, that's no problem, but he begins the 2016-17 season as a highly paid reserve.
Johnson is a combo guard who last season played off the ball about twice as often as he ran the point, though his future is believed to be as a lead guard. He'll probably play both spots this season as the Heat will mix and match a number of perimeter options. Johnson's career 38-percent accuracy from deep makes him a solid play in any role, and he has been almost as adept shooting off the dribble as in catch-and-release spots. He hit 54.5 percent from the corners, which is why he'll be an appealing option to spot up next to Goran Dragic and Richardson in small sets.
As a playmaker, Johnson is a work in progress. SCHOENE forecasts his assist rate to rank 86th among point guards. His per-play metrics in the pick-and-roll were solid but more so because of shot making than facilitating.
At 6 feet 4, Johnson's length plays well defensively at the point and the Heat were 3.2 points per 100 possessions better on that end with him on the floor, per 82games.com. His defensive RPM ranked 33rd among 2-guards last season. His size and athleticism make him a plus rebounder and shot-blocker for his position.
Derrick Williams
Position: Forward
Experience: 5 years
Age: 25
Scouting report
+ Excellent at getting into the paint and drawing contact
+ Solid shooter from corners if left unguarded but poor jump shooter overall
+ One of the league's worst defenders
Analysis
We can probably stop mentioning that Williams was the second pick of the 2011 draft. But it's not fair to label Williams a washout, and it's entirely possible that he's ready to embark on his best seasons.
During his one season in New York, Williams embraced his role as an off-the-bench spark and enjoyed his most productive campaign to date. His 2.6 WARP were more than he put up in his first four seasons combined and his RPM was, to be charitable, less terrible. And that's the rub with Williams -- his talent is immense, but he struggles to fit on both ends of the floor.
In his public comments, Williams seems cognizant of that fact and cites it as a big reason he signed a one-year, $4.6 million, make-good deal with the Heat. In Miami, Williams will remain a tweener forward, but it might not matter as much in coach Erik Spoelstra's system. He'll be encouraged to attack the basket, where he is one of the game's better foul-drawers. He needs to trim some fat in his usage rate, but he is capable shooter from the corners, giving him an off-the-ball role to play.
His defensive metrics are awful -- his RPM on that end ranked 92nd among 94 power forwards and was actually a marked improvement over the season before. He's big, strong and athletic, but his feet just don't move well. Maybe that can't be fixed.
But on a team with a depth chart thin at power forward, the opportunity is there for Williams to carve out a major role.
Beno Udrih
Position: Guard
Experience: 12 years
Age: 34
Scouting report
+ Dangerous shooter off the dribble when coming off a ball screen
+ Dependable, low-turnover point guard
+ Waning athleticism points to a career that is winding down
Analysis
Coming off the worst season of his long career, we might have seen the beginning of the end for Udrih. He finished below replacement (minus-1.0 WARP) for the first time, and his RPM has been a couple of points under zero for a few years now.
He's still a smooth shooter, especially off the dribble when he gets a ball screen. However, declining athleticism seems have sapped his ability to finish inside the arc and he doesn't create shots the way he once did. Udrih had foot surgery after the season and that was part of the cause of his decline, but perhaps Miami can squeeze another useful season out of him.
As it is, he signed for the veteran's minimum, mostly as insurance behind Goran Dragic. The Heat have younger options on the depth chart in Tyler Johnson and Briante Weber.
Wayne Ellington
Position: Guard
Experience: 7 years
Age: 29
Scouting report
+ Solid if inconsistent floor-spacing option
+ Takes too many midrange shots and is not effective in the paint
+ Defensive metrics tend to fluctuate according by team and role
Analysis
Ellington has long tantalized as a possible 3-and-D stalwart, but he always has fallen just a bit short in both the 3 and D parts of the formula. That's why Ellington enters his eighth NBA season playing for his seventh team. Yet, his opportunity in Miami is a good one; if things break right, Ellington could yet become that ideal sort of shooting-and-defensive specialist that is so crucial to today's NBA rosters.
Ellington was a league-average 3-point shooter last season, though he generally has been a little bit better than that. He is not a standstill shooter by any means, taking 42 percent of his jumpers off the dribble last season, per Synergy Sports Technologies, but making just 34 percent of those looks.
He takes far too many midrange shots, and in the lane he's neither a great finisher nor does he draw much contact. Simply put, Ellington needs to focus his game on becoming the consistent floor spacer he never has quite been.
Even if he pares his offensive game to that of a specialist, Ellington has value-added qualities. He rarely turns the ball over and rarely fouls on defense. His defensive RPMs have been up and down, making his 3-and-D profile that much murkier. However, Ellington has tended to defend better when he has been on better teams, something that certainly wasn't the case last season in Brooklyn.
He needs to bounce back toward the positive end of the defensive spectrum because while Ellington's shooting is playable, the Heat have other spacing options on the wing.
James Johnson
Position: Forward
Experience: 7 years
Age: 30
Scouting report
+ Versatile box-score stuffer with solid playmaking ability
+ Struggles from the perimeter and hasn't been able to develop a sweet spot for catch-and-shoot situations
+ Gets very loose with the ball when he tries to do too much
Analysis
Johnson's game doesn't attract a great deal of attention, but in his own way, he's one of the more enigmatic players around. His ability to play small forward at 6 feet 9 should be a good thing, even though he's a tweener at heart. He's athletic. A skilled passer when he doesn't embellish. Few players have a more impressive combination of steal and block rates. The past couple of years, he even has become league average in terms of efficiency. Yet he has ranked in the top 100 in WARP only once and never played even 1,600 minutes in a season.
Let's start with the defensive end. Johnson's predictive RPM has remained positive and is at plus-0.94 entering the 2016-17 season. SCHOENE forecast him to rank eighth among small forwards in steal rate and 12th in block rate. His rebounding last season was way down and is a liability when he slides over to 4. Still, this is a profile of a defender who makes plays without killing his team.
On offense, Johnson's problem is he's at his best with the ball in his hands, but he's not good enough that you want to give it to him any more than you have to. He never has been able to become a passable perimeter shooter and his consistently poor free throw rate strongly suggest that won't change. He's pretty good off the dribble, with drive-and-kick skills when he goes one-on-one. His biggest problem in Miami might be trying to distinguish himself from fellow tweener forward Derrick Williams.
Luke Babbitt
Position: Forward
Experience: 6 years
Age: 27
Scouting report
+ One of the game's best and most consistent long-range shooters
+ Can't finish around the rim so relies on drawing contact when putting ball on the floor
+ Role limited by borderline unplayable defense
Analysis
You could argue that the Heat have very few pure positional players on their roster beyond center Hassan Whiteside and point guard Goran Dragic. Everyone else can slide over one or two spots on the positional spectrum, and as a combo forward, Babbitt fits that bill.
Wherever he plays, Babbitt's modus operandi is one thing: space the floor with perimeter marksmanship. In that respect, he's very good. Among players with over 300 3-point attempts during the last three seasons, only Kyle Korver, J.J. Redick and Stephen Curry have done better than Babbitt's 43.6 percent accuracy. His floor-spacing ability has enough impact that his predictive offensive RPM (plus-0.18) is legit.
Unfortunately, Babbitt's defense is so bad that he never has been more than a bit player. His RPMs are routinely at least a 1.6 points in the negative. His rebound rate is below average for a 3 and unplayable for a 4. He doesn't block shots and his steal rate is nonexistent.
Babbitt's game is summed up by on-off stats: The Pelicans were 3.4 points better per 100 possessions on offense with Babbitt on the floor. They were 2.3 points worse on defense. Unless the latter changes, he's looking at another small, specialist role now that he's in Miami.
Willie Reed
Position: Center
Experience: 1 year
Age: 26
Scouting report
+ Serviceable defender, rebounder and rim protector
+ Finishes efficiently around the basket
+ Hard worker who gets the most from natural ability
Analysis
After lingering of the fringes of the NBA for several years, Reed appears to be poised for a run as an NBA backup center. Turns out his 144 games and 2,201 points in the D-League have paid off. Reed got his first NBA game action last season for the woeful Nets and put a 1.4 WARP in only 426 minutes. Reed is a plus defender who is an average rebounder for his position and a little better than that blocking shots. His defensive RPM was positive.
There is a little more to Reed's offensive game than you'd think, as evidenced by a surprising 18.1 percent usage rate. He made over 57 percent on his 2s and draws a good rate of fouls, though he struggles once he gets to the foul line. Reed is strictly a finisher, with substandard hands and little ability to facilitate. But he's a good athlete with the size and strength to finish putbacks and pick-and-roll dives.
Udonis Haslem
Position: Forward
Experience: 13 years
Age: 35
Scouting report
+ Face-up shooting big man with declining accuracy
+ Capable defender and rebounder
+ Fine locker-room leader and franchise constant
Analysis
Haslem was a rookie in Miami with Dwyane Wade, was around when Shaquille O'Neal came and went, and was there when LeBron James did the same. Now, shockingly, Wade is gone, too, but Haslem remains the constant in Miami.
He hasn't been above replacement in six years. Last season, he logged just 259 minutes. The midrange jumper is still a featured part of Haslem's game, but his percentages in that zone haven't been good for a while. He's a solid rebounder and still holds up pretty well as a positional defender.
More than anything, the Heat love having him around, and every team needs a player like Haslem in their locker room.
Briante Weber
Position: Guard
Experience: 1 year
Age: 23
Scouting report
+ Strong, aggressive defensive point guard
+ Quick to the ball in passing lanes and off the glass
+ Improving as a face-up shooter; needs to develop playmaking skills
Analysis
Weber has a real chance to make a career for himself as a dogged on-ball defender, even if it's as a third-string specialist. He was a prototypical Shaka Smart player at VCU because of his in-your-face style on that end. His small-sample RPMs don't yet reflect that trait, but SCHOENE sees the upside in Weber's defensive profile. His forecasts in rebound and steal percentages rank seventh among point guards.
Nevertheless, Weber made the 10-day contract circuit and hooked on with Miami on a non-guaranteed contract because of his serious offensive limitations. Even there, he has shown the ability to improve. He shot just 27 percent from 3-point range in college, but in 28 D-League games as a rookie, he hit 41 percent.
He needs to improve his point-guard skills, but even if he doesn't, Weber would have a career if he can knock down open looks from 3-point range and show that he can slow down the league's deep group of top point guards.
Okaro White
Position: Forward
Experience: Rookie
Age: 24
Scouting report
+ Athletic, rangy prospect with ability to space the floor
+ Needs to develop consistency with outside stroke
+ Profiles as above-average rebounder and help defender
Analysis
Former Florida State forward spent his first two seasons out of college playing in Europe and will try to bring his floor-spacing game to the NBA. The Heat gave him a training camp invite after he played for their entrant in the Las Vegas summer league.
A former All-ACC defender, White projects as a potential 3-and-D prospect if he can become more consistent with his stroke. SCHOENE forecasts him to post high-level percentages in rebounding and shot-blocking. Chances are, he'll get a look in training camp, then Miami will try to stash him in the D-League.
Rodney McGruder
Position: Guard
Experience: Rookie
Age: 25
Scouting report
+ Prolific, accurate long-range shooter who can't be left unchecked on the perimeter
+ Lacks positional versatility
+ Solid defensive metrics in D-League but needs to prove he can do it at NBA level
Analysis
McGruder carried his streak-shooting perimeter game over to the D-League the last couple of years, hitting 38.4 percent on five attempts per game last season. That's the basis of his pro game.
His offensive arsenal is almost exclusively that of an off-the-ball floor spacer. However, he's a good one. According to Synergy Sports Technologies, McGruder had a .754 effective field goal percentage last season on unguarded catch-and-release opportunities. That will garner attention.
But he lacks the length to play much small forward, and he doesn't have the ball skills to run the point. If he's going to be a one-position specialist, he'll have to defend his rear end off. That's what he'll try to do when he goes to camp with Miami on a non-guaranteed deal.
Stefan Jankovic
Position: Forward
Experience: Rookie
Age: 23
Scouting report
+ Versatile inside-outside scorer at college level
+ Solid paint defender who struggled in space
+ Needs to improve body to hang with NBA big men
Analysis
Jankovic is an undrafted rookie whom the Heat will try to develop as a inside-outside big-man prospect. He hit 63 3-pointers over the course of his college career, but more than half of them came during his last season at Hawaii when he began to spend more time on the perimeter. In doing so, he ended up as the Big West player of the year.
He was an efficient post scorer and finisher, but to stand out at the next level, he'll have to flash the face-up shot more consistently. Initially though, Jankovic will have to show he's not a defensive train wreck. At Hawaii, he was OK in the paint but struggled badly out on the floor. SCHOENE sees him well below average initially both as a rim protector and a rebounder. A big man who can shoot and exploit smaller defenders down low is always intriguing, so he'll be a player to watch during training camp.
Chris Bosh
Position: Forward
Experience: 13 years
Age: 33
Scouting report
+ Elite scorer inside and out
+ Strong, versatile defender
+ Health problems have cast career in doubt
Analysis
If a question mark, or even a sad emoji, would suffice as a scouting report, that might be what you'd see in this space. Bosh's blood clot problems have been well documented and might have already ended his illustrious NBA career. He was not cleared medically to go to training camp with the Heat, and there is no timetable for that status to change.
For his part, Bosh has pledged to press on. Whether he should do so is a private matter, but he has been so good for so long, it's not hard to understand why letting go would be wrenching.
As far as his on-the-court play goes, last season he was as good as ever before going back on the injured list. He eased up the usage pedal a little from the previous season and became more of a facilitator. There was no sign that his game was in decline.