Miami Heat: Balancing Hope, Reality For Shabazz Napier

Scan social media during the last few Miami Heat preseason games and you’ll notice an unmistakable buzz (to which I’ve contributed) about rookie Shabazz Napier. His acquisition via draft day trade was met with a lukewarm response but seen as necessary to placate LeBron James, who raved about him leading up to the draft.

But when James left and with two other point guards (Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole) under contract, some fans quickly soured on Napier, thinking he might not have a place on the roster. His summer league play did little to change that and might have actually enforced the notion. In five games in Orlando, he averaged 9.2 points per game on 27.3 percent shooting; he followed that up with four games in Las Vegas, where he averaged 10.3 points and shot 27.7 percent.

He was undersized, had a tendency to over-dribble and force the pass and his shooting was abysmal. For a fan base looking for positives this season, Napier was not a likely candidate.

How quickly things change.

Something seems to have clicked lately for the 23-year-old guard, as if he’s finally understood the transition while still building upon his four-years of collegiate experience. Through six preseason games, Napier has been energy boost off the bench, hitting clutch shots (at a respectable .426 percent field goal percentage) and impressing with some incredible passes. In Saturday’s overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs, Napier notched 25 points (on 46 percent shooting) and added 4 assists and 2 steals. Check out these highlights (via YouTube):

He was looking for his shot while not forcing anything – a far cry from his summer league experience – and he seems much more comfortable at the point than either Cole or Chalmers. As excitement has begun to build over Napier, many are already expecting him to assume the starting job by the time Miami’s regular season starts on October 29.

So what does this all mean? Unfortunately, not much.

The truth is that Heat fans are placing unrealistic expectations on the rookie, hoping he’ll provide some excitement in the absence of James. Fans have fluctuated between Napier and fellow rookie James Ennis, pronouncing both as franchise saviors even as they conveniently overlook glaring weaknesses in their respective skill sets. Both have seen the majority of their minutes while facing players that might not be in the NBA for much longer or will be stashed on the bench awaiting an opportunity. Even Napier’s great performance against the Spurs came with starter Tony Parker and super-sub Patty Mills out of action; Cory Joseph and Bryce Cotton might be fine players, but neither of them were responsible for last season’s championship.

Miami fans have to calm down and remain patient, oddly enough the same kind of advice that has probably been given to Napier and seemingly worked. There’s a lot of room in between a rookie bust and the team’s MVP and having Napier as a solid contributor – the role he’ll likely fill this season – is good enough at this point. If he can knock outside shots more consistently (just 26 percent in the preseason), he’ll earn those extra minutes and get a chance to prove himself again.

While it’s fun to get caught up in what-might-be, it’s also important to temper those expectations with what is realistically best for the team. And Napier, while clearly growing and developing as an NBA player, isn’t quite ready to start.

But with enough work and dedication, that might happen sooner than was expected this summer.