Miami Heat: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

5. Wayne Ellington averages at least seven 3-point attempts per game

In his first season open South Beach, Wayne Ellington made an immediate impact despite missing 20 games due to his injury. Overall, Ellington averaged 10.5 points in 24.2 minutes per game, which included shooting at a 37.8 percent clip from 3-point range.

Already nicknamed “The Man with the Golden Arm” by Heat announcer Eric Reid, Ellington averaged a career-high 6.4 3-point attempts per game, easily surpassing his previous high of 3.8 attempts per game in 2012-13. Overall, Ellington ranked 19th in the league in 3-point attempts, with Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors leading the way with 10.0 attempts per game.

A career journeyman until landing in Miami, Ellington is without doubt looking forward to remaining with the same team for the first time since the 2011-12 season. And with this continuity, Ellington’s confidence and self belief should take off in his second season under the Heat system.

Last season saw the Heat, in particular coach Spoelstra, completely open up their offensive game, embracing the modern-day “pace and space” era. This is simply a perfect situation for Ellington, with the attacking play of the likes of Dragic, Waiters and James Johnson creating the necessary space for Ellington to bomb away from long range.

So with an increased level of comfort and confidence entering his second season with the Heat, it is more than foreseeable that Ellington could ramp up his 3-point attempts to 7.0 per game, and continue to attempt to create havoc for the opposition.