As we continue our transition into offseason mode, we recap 2016-17 for the Miami Heat by grading every player on the roster.
The summer of 2016 was a strange one for the Miami Heat.
After 13 seasons of being the guy in South Florida, Dwyane Wade shocked the world by signing with the Chicago Bulls. Not only that, but there was also the whole Chris Bosh situation we won’t rehash here. But his loss was major, as well.
To supplement his roster, Pat Riley brought in six new guys, none of whom inspired much confidence from the fan base. Miami’s team president played the odds and signed Luke Babbitt, Derrick Williams and James Johnson in the hopes that the three combined would fill the Bosh void.
Afterwards, when most thought the team was set, news broke that Dion Waiters was being brought in to replace the best player in franchise history. And, as we’ll get to, it wasn’t a complete disaster!
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Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra deserves a ton of credit for getting this band of misfits to finish the season with 30 wins in 41 tries. But even more praise should go to the players themselves. Some simply lived up to expectations, while other far surpassed them.
As a fun exercise, why don’t we examine every player who saw action this season, and assign each an individual grade. We’ll go in order of minutes played. Starting us off, a staple of Heat basketball since 2002-03 and a guy who could very well be the next mayor of Miami.