Miami Heat: 5 reasons they will make the playoffs in 2017-18

5. Frontcourt flexibility

Aside from incumbent center Hassan Whiteside, the Heat possess an extremely flexible frontcourt rotation, capable of producing an array of versatile lineups.

James Johnson, in taking his game a whole new level last season, played primarily as the Heat’s stretch-4 coming off the bench. But in transforming his body last season (dropping from 274 to 238 pounds,) Johnson discovered an array of talents even he thought he wasn’t capable of producing. As Johnson noted during the course of last season:

"“I feel like that the more weight I lose, the more I unleash skills that I didn’t think I was capable of having or doing. Just being able to do more things agility wise. I can move, cut through smaller spaces, and definitely give more effort out there in the game. I can go from 100 effort to 150 now.”"

So moving forward, and armed with a $60 million contract, switching between all three positions in the frontcourt is not out of the realm of possibility for Johnson. His shot-blocking was one of his more impressive accomplishments, averaging 1.1 blocks per game. As can be seen below, this featured a mix of shots both on the perimeter and at the rim.

Therefore, in instances where head coach Erik Spoelstra wants to go ultra-small with his lineups, Johnson could fill in at the 5-spot with aplomb.

Another key member of the rotation is newcomer Kelly Olynyk. Having spent four seasons as a key member of the Boston Celtics, with the last two featuring deep playoff runs, Olynyk provides the Heat with another unique skill-set.

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In the modern-day game, Olynyk’s ability to stretch the floor is priceless. And as a seven-footer, his ability defend adequately in the low-post also enables the Heat to utilize a variety of different looking lineups.

Last season, Olynyk averaged 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game. While it’s hard to ascertain how many minutes he will average with the Heat, his impact while on the court was definitely felt last year with the Celtics.

In 18 games where Olynyk played 26 or more minutes, the Celtics compiled a 14-4 record. Over these games, Olynyk averaged 14.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game while being a +130 while on the floor. This featured shooting at a 59.0 percent clip from the field, and a 46.0 percent clip from 3-point range.

Check out the highlights off his epic Game 7 performance of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Washington Wizards.

Switching between the 4 and 5 spots is possible not only because of Olynyk’s capabilities, but because of the capabilities of the players surrounding him.

Then there is Bam Adebayo, the Heat’s No. 14 overall draft selection. Despite playing primarily as an old-school, low-post player in college, Adebayo has quickly demonstrated, like in NBA Summer League, that he has a lot more strings to his bow when it comes to displaying his talents on the floor. As Adebyao stated recently when asked about his role:

"“They are letting me play free.”"

At 6’10”, and possessing a 7’3″ wingspan, Adebayo’s incredible athleticism, combined with a noticeably improved outside shot, means the Heat have found themselves with yet another big body capable of playing of variety of positions, and hence a variety of roles. While his minutes are likely to be limited in his rookie campaign, the knowledge of what Adebayo is capable of producing will certainly be reassuring for the Heat coaching staff.