Winners, Losers from Week 2 of Miami Heat's NBA Preseason

The Miami Heat's preseason struggles continued in their second week, as they dropped two more games, giving themselves an 0-4 record.

Naturally, when a team drops both of its games, there are plenty of players who underperformed. However, there were also a number of Heat players who had strong showings and helped their cause to earn more minutes/a bigger role on this team.

We're going to take a look at both groups—the underachievers and overachievers—for Week 2 of Heat training camp. 

Winner: Shabazz Napier

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Shabazz Napier saw extended minutes during the Heat's past two games and the rookie point guard took full advantage.

Napier's excellent handling and ability to create shots were on full display and he posted double-digit points in each game. He scored 16 with seven assists and zero turnovers against the Cleveland Cavaliers and 12 with four assists and one turnover against the Atlanta Hawks.

Napier will almost certainly begin the season as Miami's No. 3 point guard, but he's making a strong case that he deserves rotation minutes.

Dwyane Wade even made known that he wants to see Napier out there, telling Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel that "you've got to find some time for him somewhere."

If Napier keeps this up, coach Spoelstra will have no choice but to. 

Loser: Mario Chalmers

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The reason Napier saw at least 20 minutes in each of the Heat's past two games was because Mario Chalmers suffered a hip injury early in Miami's contest versus Cleveland.

While it might not be fair to label Chalmers a "loser" because of an injury, there's no doubt the hip issue could not have come at a worse time. 

Chalmers was already starting to lose ground in the battle for Miami's starting point guard job after Spoelstra elected to start Norris Cole against the Orlando Magic (Week 1) and against the Cavaliers.

With the injury, Chalmers hasn't had a chance to prove he deserves to be the preseason starter. Also, Napier played well in Chalmers' absence, making the Kansas product's role even less secure.

Chalmers is still likely the favorite to start the year for Miami at point guard but nothing that happened in Week 2 helped his cause. 

Winner: James Ennis

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James Ennis was a top performer in Week 1 and didn't show much sign of slowing down in Week 2.

Ennis dropped 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting from three against the Cavs and 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc against the Hawks.

It wasn't a perfect week for Ennis. He racked up only four total rebounds in the two games after grabbing 16 in Miami's two Week 1 games.

Still, Ennis is proving that he belongs in this league and can make a difference in his rookie year, thanks to his athleticism, length and shooting ability.

If Ennis isn't in the Heat's rotation to start the year, Erik Spoelstra is making a mistake. 

Loser: Luol Deng

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Miami surely would liked to have seen more from its starting small forward during the second week of preseason.

Luol Deng posted just 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in 46 total minutes of action in the Heat's past two games. 

Miami doesn't necessarily need Deng to be a stat-sheet stuffer—his defense is his most valuable asset—but Deng must be a reliable third offensive option, scoring around 15 points per night and being serviceable on the glass.

It's the preseason. So for a veteran like Deng, this poor play shouldn't sound off any alarm bells. 

But Miami could use Deng rounding into regular season form sooner rather than later.

Winner: Chris Bosh

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Unlike Deng, Chris Bosh is putting up the type of numbers Miami needs from him in the regular season.

Bosh posted 41 points on 56 percent shooting from the field with 17 rebounds combined in Miami's past two games.

Many have questioned whether Bosh can be successful as the Heat's No. 1 option. While that answer won't truly be known until well into the regular season, Bosh has done nothing in the preseason to make anyone feel he's incapable of handling such a role. 

More so than in past years, Bosh is getting buckets inside. However, he's still doing what makes him special, namely knocking in mid-range and three-point jumpers.

Bosh is in store for a big season. 

Loser: Norris Cole

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Norris Cole isn't your typical "loser."

The 26-year-old didn't perform terribly during the Heat's second week, which one might expect him to have given the "loser" label.

But he also didn't break out, which means this week might have been a missed opportunity for Cole. With Chalmers only playing 11 minutes during the week due to injury, Cole had a real shot to gain significant ground in the starting point guard battle.

Cole scored 15 points and racked up six assists in the two losses. Again, that's fine production. That he made 3-of-6 threes is certainly encouraging. 

However, the fact that Napier out-shined Cole in both games makes this a not-so-great week for the Cleveland State product.