Grading Each Position Going into Miami Heat's 2014 Training Camp

Let’s not mince words. The Miami Heat had a devastating summer.

It started with an NBA Finals humiliation at the sure hands of the San Antonio Spurs—the most dominating offensive performance in recorded Finals history, according to ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton (subscription required)—and it somehow got worse from there.

LeBron James left for Cleveland, and with him, he took a credible possibility of the Heat winning a fifth consecutive Eastern Conference crown. On July 11 hope died a quick death.

But the cupboard isn’t bare in Miami—not by a long shot. The Heat were able to retain two-thirds of their vaunted Big Three—in total membership if not in value—and managed to add Shabazz Napier to the mix in the draft, while making canny moves for productive veterans Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts. And they added Danny Granger too—who at one point in the not too distant past actually played basketball pretty well.

So there’s talent in Miami. It's not a championship-caliber skill level—or even, say, 50-win ability—but the Heat have the bodies, and the chops, to play late into the spring if things break their way.

Chris Bosh, for one, is taking a positive tack. He told The Zaslow and Joy Show on Miami's FM104.3 (h/t ESPN.com) that he believes that, LeBron or no, these Heat can compete. 

"

Looking at the guys we're bringing in, we have a chance to be very good. I know we don't have the best player in the world; that's an obvious thing. But teamwise, if we come together we can do a bunch of special things.

We're still going to be competitive. It gives us an opportunity to play with a chip on our shoulder. It has revitalized my attitude towards basketball a little bit. And I'm really excited.

"

Below is a look at each position group the Heat will trot out in 2014-15. They’re not what they once were, but, really, who among us is?

Point Guard: C+

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This number might be higher if Norris Cole weren't in the mix.

Miami has some intriguing talent at point guard, but how the position shakes out for the Heat will largely be a matter of minute distribution. That means: the less Norris Cole, the better.

Cole is, quietly, an albatross for Miami. (Albeit one with tremendous hair.) In his finest season as a professional, 2013-14, Cole posted a win-shares-per-48-minutes figure that was 29 percent of the league average, according to Basketball-Reference.com. This was, again, in his best season.

Outside of intermittently pesky defense as part of Miami’s frenzied trapping schemes—schemes it seems likely to abandon with linchpin James gone—Cole doesn’t do anything well.

According to Boxscore Geeks, among point guards, he posts below-average figures in points, shooting percentage, rebounds, assists, turnovers, blocks, steals and fouls. On a team that posted a true shooting percentage of 59, Cole was at 49.7. So he’s bad.

Meanwhile, Mario Chalmers is maybe the most thoroughly average player in the NBA. In six professional seasons, his career win shares per 48 minutes is exactly .1—the league average—and within an individual year, it’s only fallen as low as .072 and climbed as high as .12.

Across the board, the only thing remarkable about the guard is his consistency. He’s never averaged more than 12.4 points per 36 minutes or fewer than 10.2. This is nothing to write home about, but it’s a pretty substantial improvement over what Cole offers.

And then there’s the wild card: Shabazz Napier. While the point guard had a dreadful summer league, he was extraordinarily productive at UConn—not only did he lead the Huskies to a national championship, he also led the nation in win shares, per Sports-Reference.com—and figures to acquit himself well to the NBA game.

The Heat get a "C+" now based on the presence of Cole and the apparent allure he has to Erik Spoelstra. But with Cole deemphasized—a possibility—a PG tandem of Napier and Chalmers could nudge them into "B/B+" territory.

Shooting Guard: B

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Wade could well have a renaissance in 2014-15, but his backups should give even the most wild-eyed optimist pause.

Dwyane Wade is still pretty good. He scores with remarkable efficiency, and based on some interesting on-court/off-court splits, it’s possible this is a capacity that will persist even with LeBron in Cleveland. According to ESPN, Wade finished second among all shooting guards in player efficiency rating, even in the midst of what was—to many close watchers—a career-worst year.

But Wade doesn’t play a lot. He suited up only 54 times in the 2013-14 regular season, and he played a career-low 32.9 minutes a night when he did. This makes it imperative that he have top-shelf backups. Instead, he has Shannon Brown and Reggie Williams—about whom the less that is said, the better.

This is a very tenuous "B." If something happens to Wade—which isn’t vanishingly unlikely given his age and mileage—Miami will be in a world of hurt at the 2.

Small Forward: C+

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Deng is still a capable player, but he may make for an off fit alongside Wade in Miami.

Luol Deng is a very helpful basketball player in a vacuum, but he won’t be playing in a vacuum this season. He’ll be playing in Miami.

The nub of the problem is that Wade and Deng have similar, and potentially exacerbating, weaknesses: Neither has much of an outside shot. Deng shot 30.2 percent from the three-point arc in 2013-14 and 32.2 the season before, while Wade’s perimeter shooting numbers aren’t even fit for print at this stage of his career. Taken together, this could create some major spacing issues for Miami’s offense.

(The Heat could have a solve for this riddle, though. More on that in a minute.)

While Deng is a very fine defender, it’s possible the liability he contributes to on the offensive end will offset this value.

Meanwhile, he will be backed up by Danny Granger and James Ennis—a 24-year-old rookie from Long Beach State who, hand to God, doesn’t even have a Basketball-Reference page. This is not a position of strength.

Power Forward: C+

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McRoberts brings a soft touch from the perimeter and some nifty passing skills to Miami.

Josh McRoberts was a stellar signing. There is a very short supply of 6’10” human beings who can pass and shoot the basketball like McRoberts.

The erstwhile Charlotte Bobcat, at 27, provides the Heat not only the perimeter pop they sorely need, but he also allows Bosh to slide back to the post. He hit 36.1 percent of his triples in 2013-14, an especially important stat on a team that will play Wade and Deng at the two and three.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton behind McRoberts. Udonis Haslem is declining rapidly and third-body Shawn Williams is playing professional basketball for a living—which is the best thing you can say about him.

Center: A-

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By spending more time inside, Bosh could be ready to break out for Miami.

I love this position for the Heat. It’s been said before in this space, but it bears repeating: Bosh could be set up for a very large campaign for Miami. The center is expected to spend more time in the post with LeBron gone, and while the Bostrich earned his feathers as a perimeter player, he’s quietly a force down low.

According to NBA.com, in 2013-14, only four players made good on a higher percentage of their attempts from within five feet of the basket. That’s good company.

Bosh’s backups are also uber-capable. Third-stringer Justin Hamilton is solid, and Chris Andersen might be the best role player in the NBA. Birdman simply doesn’t miss shots, posting a 68.3 true shooting percentage in 2013-14, per Basketball-Reference.com, and a block rate that paced Miami.