Miami Heat: Does Josh McRoberts Still Fit?

Josh McRoberts faced a variety of injuries this past season. He never had a chance to blend with his new team after missing most of training camp recovering from off-season foot surgery and slowly eased his way into the lineup only to miss time with minor issues until tearing knee ligaments that shelved him for the rest of the year. He played in just 17 total games.

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That might be the sum of his experience with the Miami Heat.

A recent post by the Sun Sentinel brought up a point that McRoberts, while versatile and skilled, might not belong in a revamped version of the Heat. When McRoberts was signed last season, Miami still held hope that LeBron James would re-sign with the team. The journeyman forward was supposed to be a bench player that could keep Erik Spoelstra’s position-less basketball scheme in place.

Instead, his injury forced the organization’s hand and eventually led to the addition of Hassan Whiteside.

Whiteside is clearly the future in Miami, although his contract situation is a mounting concern: the Heat smartly gave the raw unproven center a two-year deal when they signed him last season. At the time, many thought it was an optimistic contract at best given that Whiteside wasn’t a sure thing. With Whiteside’s dominance and unexpected production, it was one of the best bargains in the NBA.

Still, Whiteside will become an unrestricted free agent in 2016 and he’s much more valuable to the Heat than McRoberts, if for nothing else than his incredible rim protection. But because of that value, Whiteside has to be on the floor and changes Spoelstra’s rotation to a much-more traditional one, with Whiteside at the pivot and with Chris Bosh back to his more natural power forward position.

While McRoberts could be a great part of a strong bench unit, it’s difficult to see how he fits alongside Whiteside. And you can’t overlook how the addition of Goran Dragic (who Miami hopes to re-sign) changes the team as well. From a team that made four runs to the NBA Finals with glaring weaknesses at point guard and small size at center, now Miami is strong at both positions.

And the draft, as pointed out by Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel, might indicate the future for McRoberts:

"The greater question might be where he fits in, with the emergence of Hassan Whiteside, the expected return of Chris Bosh, and the possibility of the Heat winding up with length if they retain the No. 10 pick coming out of the draft lottery, with Willie Cauley-Stein a potential option at that selection, or even Frank Kaminsky. On one hand, I’ve been told that Pat Riley remains intrigued with McRoberts’ possibilities, on the other hand, the Heat are a far different team than when they signed McRoberts to mid-level money last summer. I think the draft could impact where the Heat go with their power rotation."

As I wrote about in an earlier post, the Heat might be best suited by bringing aboard a young talented front court player that could learn from aging veterans while possibly filling in for Whiteside should he leave via free agency. While Riley may appreciate what McRoberts could add to the team, he’s not above making a move that could strengthen the team in the long run.

The draft might have more of an impact on McRoberts’ future – one that once looked so promising – than his limited time on the court.

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