Miami Heat: Will Shawne Williams Be A Factor This Season?

The Miami Heat held their “Red, White & Pink” scrimmage open to the public this week, giving fans an opportunity to see the team while bringing awareness to the dangers of breast cancer. It was a glorified practice session and one that lacked the thoroughfare of past seasons, another unfortunate byproduct of LeBron James’ departure to Cleveland.

Among the highlights of the “game” was seeing Danny Granger, he of the shaky knees, knock down four 3-pointers. All-Star veterans Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Luol Deng all had their moments to wow the crowd. Even the point guard battle between incumbent starter Mario Chalmers, an improved Norris Cole and rookie Shabazz Napier looks to be an exciting subplot to this year’s training camp.

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But the biggest surprise? The play of

Shawne Williams

, the journeyman player who finished with 17 points during the scrimmage.

Wait … what?

Yes, Williams, the six-year veteran who’s been in and out of the league since leaving the University of Memphis in 2006. The 6’9” forward likely wouldn’t have wound up with the gaudy stat line if not for a lingering toe injury to Josh McRoberts, projected to be a starter for Miami this season. Yet there was Williams, “starting” alongside Chalmers, Wade, Deng and Bosh and knocking down 5-of-8 shots, grabbing four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

As theorized by the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, Williams was “essentially filling the role Michael Beasley handled last year,” providing a boost off the bench and occasional starter.

Can Heat fans expect this level of production regularly throughout the season? The simple answer is no, but it’s not based on Williams’ history or skillset.

The obvious reason is that McRoberts, should he soon recover fully as expected, will be the starter this season. While he did have toe surgery at the end of last season, he spent the summer working out with Wade and other new teammates; holding him out of preseason games is just a precaution.

Williams and McRoberts provide similar shooting from outside (.333 and .342 percent, respectively) but McRoberts is more athletic, a much better passer and a better fit for Miami’s projected starting lineup.

But, even in a reserve role, Williams will find it difficult to get quality minutes this season. Granger is expected to play some at both forward positions and he seems to have moved on from the injuries that have dogged him the last two seasons. Rookie forward James Ennis is erratic but explosive; his ball-handling and shot creation need developing but he can shoot from range and is too athletic to keep stashed on the bench.

But it’s not completely hopeless for Williams, who will be used exclusively as a stretch-4. Miami’s lineup is already small, with Bosh, Chris Andersen and Udonis Haslem as the best options at center. Should Williams see the floor, it’ll be alongside Bosh and Andersen providing some range.

As you can see from his production last season (courtesy of Nylon Calculus) in 36 games with the L.A. Lakers, he does almost all of his work on the perimeter:

S Williams Shot Chart - 2013-14 /

For Heat fans, his play will closely resemble that of Rashard Lewis, who spent the last two seasons in Miami. While Lewis was a much better shooter, his career was considered nearly over before enjoying somewhat of a rebirth with the Heat. The hope is that Williams’ skills will be maximized along that same path.

The reality is that Williams will not be a significant factor in Miami’s upcoming season of transition from a post-LeBron era. But he’s also proof that the Heat are deeper than expected, and Granger’s emergence along with the potential breakout for Ennis are encouraging. In a season of lowered expectations, sometimes that’s enough to look forward to.

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