Initial Report Card Grades for Every Miami Heat Player
Through Week 1 of the 2013-14 NBA season, the Miami Heat's title defense hasn't gotten off on the right foot.
Miami thumped the Chicago Bulls on opening night, ensuring its ring ceremony wouldn't be tarnished by the return of Derrick Rose. The warm, fuzzy feelings quickly fizzled, however, after the Philadelphia 76ers upset the defending champions the next night.
A high-profile meeting with the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 1 provided an opportunity for the Heat to right the ship, but that, too, went awry. The Nets defended their home turf by winning 101-100, sending a message that they weren't going down this season without a tooth-and-nail fight.
The Heat rebounded with a comfortable 103-93 win over the Washington Wizards on Nov. 3, putting the team at 2-2 after the first week of the season. Before the game, though, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade alluded to minor chemistry issues already bubbling to the surface, per ESPN's Michael Wallace.
There's no reason for Miami fans to panic just yet, but the Heat must put an end to their complacency to pull off the three-peat.
Here, check out how each Heat player has fared through the first week of the 2013-14 season.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics come from either Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com/stats.
Mario Chalmers, PG
1 of 15
Grade: A-
2013-14 per-game statistics: 4 games, 29.3 MIN, 11.8 PTS, 2.8 REB, 4.8 AST, 3.3 STL, 0.0 BLK, 2.5 TO, 2.5 3PT, 42.4 FG%, 58.8 3FG%, 90.0 FT%
Let's give credit where credit is due: Four games into the 2013-14 season, Mario Chalmers looks better than ever.
The Miami Heat's Big Three have struggled to find their footing thus far, but Chalmers has been there to pick up the slack. This will be the first of many small sample-size warnings, but through four games, he's averaging an eye-popping 3.3 steals per game, second in the league behind only Ricky Rubio.
To date, Chalmers is posting per-36-minute highs in points (14.5), assists (5.8) and three-pointers (3.1). He's never finished with a PER above 13.3 before this season, but he's currently touting a PER of 19.3.
Chalmers is bound for some regression to the mean—he's not going to keep drilling nearly 60 percent of his three-point attempts—but his continued evolution will be key to Miami's three-peat chances. He's struggling a bit inside the three-point arc, knocking down only 25 percent of his 4.0 two-point shot attempts per game, per Basketball Reference, but that's the only real complaint about Chalmers' start.
Dwyane Wade, SG
2 of 15
Grade: C+
2013-14 per-game statistics: 3 games, 36.3 MIN, 18.0 PTS, 4.7 REB, 4.0 AST, 1.7 STL, 1.0 BLK, 3.7 TO, 0.7 3PT, 45.0 FG%, 40.0 3FG%, 66.7 FT%
Four games into the 2013-14 season, there's already cause for concern when it comes to Dwyane Wade's health.
After playing 36 minutes in the Miami Heat's season opener on Oct. 29, Wade was held out as a precaution the next night against the Philadelphia 76ers, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. Erik Spoelstra told Windhorst that "it won't be consistent necessarily all year that he won't play back-to-backs," but it's clear that Miami will attempt to preserve Wade as much as possible during the regular season.
When he has made it onto the court, he's been his typical well-rounded self, although he's experiencing some uncharacteristic early struggles from the free-throw line. He's making up for it with his three-point shooting, however, having drilled two of his five attempts from downtown to date.
As noted by ESPN's Tom Haberstroh, those five three-point attempts were more than he took during the Heat's 22-game playoff run in 2013. He's spotting up and shooting more than three times as often as he did last season, according to Haberstroh, which could be a strategic adjustment to preserve his body from too much banging in the paint.
Wade gets dinged here for both his high number of turnovers (3.7 per game) and for having already sat a game in the first week of the season, even if it was precautionary. His health will be the one of the most critical elements to Miami's three-peat chances, and the early returns aren't necessarily promising.
LeBron James, SF
3 of 15
Grade: B-
2013-14 per-game statistics: 4 games, 38.0 MIN, 23.3 PTS, 5.0 REB, 8.0 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.3 BLK, 4.3 TO, 2.0 3PT, 55.7 FG%, 53.3 3FG%, 73.9 FT%
LeBron James hasn't quite looked like LeBron James during the first week of the 2013-14 season.
That's not to say he's been terrible by any means. He's averaging a team-high 38.0 minutes, 23.3 points and 8.0 assists per game, and he ranks second on the team in rebounds (5.0 per game) behind only Chris Bosh.
But as James himself admits, he's not in his typical prime physical condition after taking a few weeks off during the summer to get married and go on a (well-deserved) honeymoon.
"I'm getting there," James told ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "In the next couple weeks I'll be where I want to be."
Being disappointed with James' PER of 26.0 speaks to just how dominant the reigning MVP has been in recent years. Once he gets back into tip-top shape, there's little reason to expect anything besides another dominant season from James, but it hasn't been "A" caliber thus far.
Udonis Haslem, PF
4 of 15
Grade: C-
2013-14 per-game statistics: 4 games, 14.8 MIN, 3.5 PTS, 2.0 REB, 0.3 AST, 0.3 STL, 0.3 BLK, 1.0 TO, N/A 3PT, 46.2 FG%, N/A 3FG%, 40.0 FT%
Out of all the Miami Heat starters, Udonis Haslem has been the most underwhelming through the first week of the 2013-14 season.
That shouldn't exactly come as a surprise, however. Haslem ranked eighth on the team in terms of minutes played per game (18.9) last season and is averaging a career-low 14.8 minutes per game this year.
Miami isn't relying upon Haslem to do much more than play defense, soak up a few early fouls and bide time until the team can force its opponents' hands by switching to a smaller lineup. Having Chris "Birdman" Andersen around for the full season will only cut further into Haslem's playing time.
Small sample-size warning: Haslem is posting an offensive rating of 74 points per 100 possessions, the second lowest on the team (behind only Roger Mason Jr.), per Basketball Reference. That offensive inefficiency earns him a below-average grade through the first week of the season.
Chris Bosh, C
5 of 15
Grade: A
2013-14 per-game statistics: 4 games, 32.8 MIN, 19.8 PTS, 6.8 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.3 STL, 1.5 BLK, 2.5 TO, 1.5 3PT, 59.1 FG%, 60.0 3FG%, 87.5 FT%
No Miami Heat player had a better first week of the 2013-14 season than Chris Bosh.
After a lackluster performance in the 2013 Finals, it was imperative for Bosh to reassert himself early this year as someone worthy of the "Big Three" moniker. Four games into the season, consider that mission accomplished.
Bosh has knocked down a preposterous 59.1 percent of his 11 field-goal attempts per game, second on the team to only Norris Cole. He's been even better from beyond the arc, drilling six of his 10 three-point attempts on the season, and he touts the second-highest free-throw shooting percentage on the team (87.5).
In short, Bosh has been a dominant offensive force through the first week of the season while LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have somewhat stumbled out of the gate. That's enough to earn him the first "A" grade here.
As an added bonus, Bosh's wife, Adrienne, delivered the couple's second child at 5:55 a.m. Monday morning, per ESPN's Michael Wallace. Between reminding the world why he's considered a member of the Big Three and welcoming another child into the world, Bosh couldn't have asked for a better start to the 2013-14 season.
Ray Allen, SG (Sixth Man)
6 of 15
Grade: A
2013-14 per-game statistics: 4 games, 28.5 MIN, 11.5 PTS, 3.5 REB, 4.0 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.3 BLK, 0.8 TO, 2.0 3PT, 51.6 FG%, 42.1 3FG%, 85.7 FT%
Despite being the oldest player on the 2013-14 Miami Heat squad, Ray Allen has hit the ground running this season.
Allen currently ranks fifth on the team in terms of minutes per game (28.5), clearly emerging as the Heat's first option off the bench. He's tied with LeBron James for the second-most made three-point field goals per game (2.0), trailing only point guard Mario Chalmers.
You expect the three-point efficiency from Allen, but he's also contributing in less predictable ways. He's averaging a career-high 5.1 assists per 36 minutes, according to Basketball Reference, and he's also chipping in 4.4 rebounds per 36 minutes, his most since the 2006-07 season.
As with every player featured here, the small sample-size warning applies: Allen isn't likely to continue averaging four dimes per game after dishing out 1.7 per game last season. For now, his scorching start to the season earns him the second "A" here.
Norris Cole, PG
7 of 15
Grade: A
2013-14 per-game statistics: 4 games, 21.8 MIN, 9.0 PTS, 3.0 REB, 3.3 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.0 BLK, 0.3 TO, 1.0 3PT, 61.5 FG%, 44.4 3FG%, N/A FT%
Norris Cole has been a revelation off the bench for the Miami Heat through the first week of the 2013-14 season.
Cole's role for the Heat is pretty simple: Lead the second unit and don't make too many costly mistakes. He's done one better than that, knocking down 61.5 percent of his field-goal attempts in Miami's first four regular-season games.
The small sample-size warning applies once again, but he's currently posting career-highs in points (9.0), rebounds (3.0), assists (3.3), steals (0.8) and three-point field goals (1.0) per game. Cole has also drilled over 70 percent of his two-point field goal attempts, per Basketball Reference, which is simply preposterous for a perimeter player.
He's going to cool off and come back down to Earth eventually, but Miami must be pleased with the command that the third-year player has demonstrated to date. He's the third straight Heat player to earn a flat "A" for how well he's played in the first four games of the season.
Shane Battier, SF
8 of 15
Grade: D
2013-14 per-game statistics: 4 games, 20.3 MIN, 4.0 PTS, 2.3 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.0 STL, 0.0 BLK, 0.0 TO, 1.0 3PT, 30.0 FG%, 23.5 3FG%, N/A FT%
Shane Battier, to put it kindly, has gotten off to a brutal start in the 2013-14 season.
After drilling all four of his three-point attempts in the Miami Heat's home opener against the Chicago Bulls, Battier went ice cold from deep. He missed all 13 shot attempts from downtown over the Heat's next three games, causing his overall field-goal percentage to plummet to a ghastly 30.0 percent.
Seeing as 4.4 of Battier's 5.0 field-goal attempts per game during the 2012-13 season came from beyond the three-point line, Miami needs him to snap out of this shooting slump ASAP. His main role offensively is to stand behind the arc and space the floor, but that becomes more difficult if opponents don't have to respect his long-range shooting ability.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told ESPN's Michael Wallace that, despite Battier's early-season struggles, he must continue to have an "absolute green, neon light." He's going to have plenty of opportunities to snap out of this shooting funk, but for now, he gets the lowest grade of any Heat player through the first week of the season.
Chris "Birdman" Andersen, C
9 of 15
Grade: B
2013-14 per-game statistics: 4 games, 15.3 MIN, 4.5 PTS, 3.5 REB, 0.5 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.8 BLK, 1.0 TO, N/A 3PT, 50.0 FG%, N/A 3FG%, 66.7 FT%
Chris "Birdman" Andersen has done exactly what the Miami Heat have asked of him in the first week of the 2013-14 season.
The Heat didn't bring Birdman in to score 20-plus points per game. He's on the team for two reasons: to make opponents think twice about attempting shots in the paint and to clean up their misses.
Through the first four games of the season, Andersen has done exactly that. He's averaging 3.5 rebounds and nearly a block per game in only 15.3 minutes of action, which actually translates to a career-low 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes, according to Basketball Reference.
Given Birdman's offensive limitations, he's unlikely to ever play 25-30 minutes per night unless Chris Bosh or Udonis Haslem go down with a long-term injury. Still, since he's doing exactly what the Heat need him to do, he earns a solid "B" based on his performance in the first week of the season.
Rashard Lewis, PF
10 of 15
Grade: B
2013-14 per-game statistics: 3 games, 10.7 MIN, 4.7 PTS, 1.3 REB, 2.3 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.0 BLK, 0.3 TO, 0.7 3PT, 45.5 FG%, 28.6 3FG%, 66.7 FT%
Based on how he's performed during the first week of the 2013-14 season, Rashard Lewis apparently isn't ready for his career to go off into the night.
After earning a DNP in the Miami Heat's season opener, he made brief appearances in the team's next three games. He played 20 minutes in Miami's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, notching 11 points, five assists, one rebound, one steal and one made three-pointer in 20 minutes of action.
The 34-year-old Lewis isn't going to be a major contributor for the Heat this year, but he can still be a valuable contributor at the end of the bench. Based on his early-season usage, it appears as though Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has more faith in Lewis than either Michael Beasley or James Jones for now.
He hasn't been outstanding in his limited playing time, but he's been serviceable at the very least. For that, he earns a solid "B" grade for his first-week-of-the-season performance.
Roger Mason Jr., SG
11 of 15
Grade: C
2013-14 per-game statistics: 1 game, 15.0 MIN, 3.0 PTS, 0.0 REB, 2.0 AST, 0.0 STL, 0.0 BLK, 2.0 TO, 1.0 3PT, 33.3 FG%, 50.0 3FG%, N/A FT%
Roger Mason Jr. may be the biggest early-season surprise at the end of the Miami Heat's bench.
When Dwyane Wade missed the Oct. 30 game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Mason earned the start in his place. He played a total of 15 minutes that game, notching three points (on one made three-pointer), two assists and two turnovers.
Considering Mason Jr.'s contract doesn't get fully guaranteed until January, he must be feeling slightly more confident in his chances of sticking around the entire season after this first week. The Heat clearly like the threat of Ray Allen off the bench, which opens up an opportunity for Mason Jr. when Wade takes the night off.
Seeing as Wade hasn't been the picture of health over the past few seasons, the Heat will need a reliable third shooting guard on the roster. Mason Jr. appears fully capable of filling that role, but barring a long-term injury, he won't be working his way into the regular rotation.
Joel Anthony, C
12 of 15
Grade: N/A
2013-14 per-game statistics: 1 game, 3.0 MIN, 0.0 PTS, 0.0 REB, 0.0 AST, 0.0 STL, 0.0 BLK, 0.0 TO, N/A 3PT, N/A FG%, N/A 3FG%, N/A FT%
One week into the 2013-14 season, Joel Anthony holds the unique honor of being the only Miami Heat player to be a member of "Club Trillion."
Anthony's sole appearance this year to date came on Nov. 1 against the Brooklyn Nets. He played a grand total of three minutes and didn't notch a single point, rebound, assist, steal, block or turnover.
With Chris "Birdman" Andersen now in the regular rotation, Anthony has been relegated to the very end of the bench. Once Greg Oden gets going, Anthony should have plenty of DNP's in his future.
Since he's only played three minutes this season, he hasn't done nearly enough to warrant a grade. He gets bonus points for repping Club Tril, though.
Michael Beasley, SF
13 of 15
Grade: N/A
2013-14 per-game statistics: N/A
Four games into the 2013-14 season, I'm somewhat surprised that Michael Beasley still hasn't made his regular-season debut with the Miami Heat.
The Heat brought Beasley in on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal, so it's not as though the team made a major financial investment in him. Because of that, the front office won't be forcing Erik Spoelstra's hand when it comes to Beasley's playing time.
Still, if Miami hopes to keep LeBron James as fresh as possible for the 2014 playoffs, Beasley seemed on paper like a perfect addition to the roster. Throw him out there for 10, 15, maybe even 20 minutes a night, and the Heat can buy a few minutes of extra rest for James and Shane Battier.
Spoelstra hasn't shed light on why Beasley has remained on the bench, but one can only assume it's due to his lack of experience with this particular Heat squad. Until he gets a concrete grasp on the team's offensive and defensive schemes, Spo isn't going to throw him out there unless absolutely necessary.
Greg Oden, C
14 of 15
Grade: N/A
2013-14 per-game statistics: N/A
Unlike Michael Beasley, it's no shock that Greg Oden hasn't made his regular-season debut with the Miami Heat.
Since signing Oden over the summer, the Heat made clear their plans to bring him along slowly. The team has no need for the big man to accumulate major wear-and-tear on those troublesome knees in November; it's the playoffs that really matter.
With that in mind, there's no telling when Oden will hit the court for the first time. His four-minute stint in the preseason was a great way to reward him for his dedication to the rehab process, but the pace of the regular season is an entirely different beast.
As the season progresses, Oden should start seeing 10-15 minutes per night with some regularity. As much as Miami wants to protect him, he'll need to get up to speed after the All-Star break to have any chance of being an impact player in the postseason.
James Jones, SF
15 of 15
Grade: N/A
2013-14 per-game statistics: N/A
James Jones has earned four straight DNP's to start the 2013-14 season, which tells you everything you need to know about his place in the Miami Heat's rotation.
In the game against Philadelphia that Dwyane Wade missed, Rashard Lewis earned 20 minutes of playing time. Jones didn't even see the floor.
At this point, he appears to be the team's last resort when it comes to wing depth. Even when he ends up seeing the floor, he won't be asked to do much more than take the occasional open three-point shot.
Jones appeared in 38 games during the 2012-13 season, but finished 13th on the team in terms of total minutes played. He appears headed for a similar fate this season, barring a catastrophic string of injuries that wipes out Miami's depth.
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