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Miami Heat: Amar’e Stoudemire Should Be In Rotation

By Kenneth Teape

Nov 19, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Amar'e Stoudemire (5) enters the game during the first half against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Amar'e Stoudemire (5) enters the game during the first half against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Miami Heat are off to a strong start this season, moving to 7-4 on the year with their victory over the Sacramento Kings Thursday night. In the game, we saw the production you would expect from guys like Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

But one player that showed up with productive minutes that we haven’t seen much of this season was Amar’e Stoudemire, and he is someone we should see more of in the near future.

Stoudemire was signed this offseason and was expected to help bolster the Heat’s bench. He was one of many offseason acquisitions that had people talking up the Heat as a potential sleeper in the Eastern Conference, but thus far, he hadn’t had much of a chance to play yet.

Prior to last night’s game against the Kings, Stoudemire had only appeared in one game, the second one of the season against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Stoudemire played in all of the Heat’s preseason games, but was battling knee soreness in the regular season. While Stoudemire will always been an injury concern, he should be able to carve out a role with the Heat.

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Stoudemire does not have the athleticism that made him one of the must-watch players in the NBA when he was with the Phoenix Suns and at the beginning of his New York Knicks tenure, but he is still a serviceable player.

In only eight minutes against the Kings, Stoudemire scored 10 points, going 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line. Despite not being able to dunk over people anymore, Stoudemire is still deadly in the pick-and-roll game. He can either pop for a midrange jumper or roll to the rim and have success.

He has shown that he can still be an efficient scorer, it will just have to come in smaller spurts. Last season with the Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, Stoudemire averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game despite averaging only 21.1 minutes a night. That equaled out to an impressive 19.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per 36 minutes.

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    • Those are numbers that the Heat could really use off their bench this season. Right now they are getting very little production from any bigs in their second unit. Josh McRoberts is the only player that is even listed as a power forward, while there’s no backup center in the rotation currently.

    Stoudemire can help fill that void and take some of the scoring pressure off Bosh, who is the only big man the Heat have to run their offense through.

    While he is not the same player that he was even three or four seasons ago, Stoudemire can still offer something offensively that the Heat could really use. With small being the new thing in the NBA, Stoudemire is mobile enough to play center in that sort of lineup. He has also proven in the past that he is most successful offensively when used at center instead of power forward.

    Without much in the way of size, the Heat could really use Stoudemire in their rotation. It may not be a nightly basis, as he will need some maintenance days to make sure he is not overused and injured, but he will deliver when called upon. Not many people work as hard as Stoudemire does, and he has already said that he will do whatever it will take to help the Heat win.

    The instant scoring he can bring off the bench would give the Heat a strong trio alongside Tyler Johnson and Gerald Green, while he can also give some size off the bench, something they sorely lack. It will help get Bosh and Hassan Whiteside some rest during the game, as Erik Spoelstra is having to rely on them for heavy minutes without many other options to go to.

    Next: 25 Best Players To Play For The Miami Heat

    Stoudemire knows what he is capable of giving, it is now up to Spoelstra to make it work. Despite being 33 years old and seemingly on his last legs, Stoudemire can still help a team win if put in the right position to succeed.

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