Victor Oladipo and Tyler Herro could split playmaking duties off the bench.
With the dust (seemingly) settled after a flurry of moves to open free agency, the Miami Heat made significant improvements. The Heat improved at point guard, landing Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade for Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa. Miami fortified their power forward position with Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker. And the Heat re-signed Duncan Robinson, Victor Oladipo and Dewayne Dedmon.
Huge for the Heat if Dipo on a tiny deal can be great. Looked fantastic defensively before he went down, the burst was there
Jimmy Bam Lowry PJ Duncan, your likely starters
Dipo Herro Morris Dedmon, your guys off the bench you trust. That’s a legit playoff rotation https://t.co/dXTQaAY7w4
— Kyle Lowry Lifer (@gnavas103) August 4, 2021
And yet, it appears the Heat will start another season without a backup point guard. (Yes, Goran Dragic was the sixth man for the 2019-20 season, but that changed in the playoffs.) In fact, Beno Udrih is arguably the last backup point guard Miami has had, and he’s most well known for accepting a buyout agreement with the Heat in 2016 that allowed them to sign Joe Johnson and avoid the luxury tax.
Over the last five seasons, Miami has tried to infuse their young guards — Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson, Herro — with playmaking abilities. Winslow had the best success of the group, but injuries prevented him from reaching his potential.
Even without a true backup point guard, there’s reason to believe Miami is well-suited to form a cohesive offense with the current personnel. Of course, Butler and Adebayo can both operate as spokes of the wheel.
And though Herro struggled when he started at point guard early in his sophomore season, having him split backup ball-handling duties with Oladipo figures to be right in his comfort zone. (Oladipo’s health, it goes without saying, remains a question mark. He may return to full-contact basketball in November.)
As long as Oladipo is healthy, having him as a backup ball handler could help split playmaking duties with Herro and give Tyler more freedom off the ball to shoot and do what he does best. Herro may have a future as a lead guard, but right now take advantage of his strengths
— Draft Deeper (@DraftDeeper) August 5, 2021
The Heat are in a great position — they filled a lot of their holes from last season quickly. If they find the need to shore up their backup backcourt, they can make a mid-season trade or add a player from the buyout market. But with Lowry, Butler, Adebayo, Oladipo and Herro, that may not be necessary.
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