Which players on the Heat roster will be a part of their regular rotation, and what will their roles be?
STARTERS
PG Kyle Lowry
SG Max Strus
SF Jimmy Butler
PF Duncan Robinson
C Bam Adebayo
BENCH ROTATION
Dewayne Dedmon
Tyler Herro
Victor Oladipo
Gabe Vincent
DEEP BENCH – VETERANS
Darius Days
Marcus Garrett
Udonis Haslem
Haywood Highsmith
Caleb Martin
Omar Yurtseven
DEEP BENCH – DEVELOPING YOUTH
Nikola Jovic
Orlando Robinson
LIKELY TO BE WAIVED
Jamaree Bouuyea
Jamal Cain
Dru Smith
POSITION BATTLES
While Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry are guaranteed to start, the other 2 spots in the starting lineup are up for grabs. On talent and production alone, a spot would obviously go to Tyler Herro. However, the team seems to prefer that Herro come off the bench to provide an offensive spark for that second unit. As of now, it looks like Max Strus will start alongside Lowry in the backcourt. Strus, yet another undrafted find for the Heat that they developed into a rotation player, has proven to be a very efficient shooter who must be honored by the defense. Another option is former all-NBA player Victor Oladipo, who seems to have finally overcome a series of injuries that limited him to just 96 games over the past 4 seasons. While Oladipo may never again reach the level he played at for the Pacers in 2017-18, he can still be a viable weapon.
The 5th starter will likely be Duncan Robinson, who the team is hoping will bounce back from a disappointing season last year that by the playoffs found him to often be a non-factor on the outskirts of the rotation. Robinson’s shooting prowess and size can cause problems for defenses but he must be more consistent and also avoid lapses on the defensive end.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Heat don’t have a whole lot of size. Rookies Nikola Jovic and Orlando Robinson are unlikely to play much and veteran Udonis Haslem, the oldest player in the NBA, is really more like a coach at this point. It would really help if 2nd year pro Omar Yurtseven builds upon his promising rookie season and carves out a regular spot in the rotation. Yurtseven can be an imposing presence in the paint if he can stay out of foul trouble.
There’s also not a whole lot of depth at point guard behind Kyle Lowry, which may be concerning since Lowry is 36 years old and plays a physical style of basketball. Gabe Vincent, yet another undrafted discovery, played well in spot duty last year and has improved each year. It’s not clear, however, if Vincent can handle starter’s minutes for an extended period of time, so hopefully Lowry can stay healthy.