After the Miami Heat’s season-opening loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the guard situation is already under the microscope, and Ryan Conwell looks like the next name that needs a real look.
The issue is simple: the Heat need better play from the backcourt, and they need it badly. Erik Spoelstra typically leans on Dru Smith when he’s looking for help in a spot like this, but Smith didn’t see the floor in the opener. That wasn’t exactly a shocking decision, either, since he isn’t the kind of player you reach for when the offense needs a jolt.
Conwell, though, offers something different. In preseason, he looked comfortable getting into his spots, making a few plays for others, and hitting 3-pointers. That alone was enough to make the opener feel like a missed chance, especially with Tim Hardaway Jr. clearly struggling with his shot.
The case for Conwell starts with what he brings on the perimeter. He isn’t a pure playmaker - his highest college assist average in a season was 2.7 - but he has shown he can volume-shoot from deep and do it efficiently.
In his last three college seasons, he took seven-plus 3s per game and made 38.4 percent of them. Hardaway Jr. is the better shooter, but pairing him with Conwell could create a problem for defenses.
At the very least, Conwell would give the Heat another legitimate outside threat in one of the Giannis + bench lineups.
There’s also the comparison to Nikola Jovic, and it isn’t a flattering one for Jovic. Even with that harsh assessment, the point is hard to ignore: Conwell can’t be any worse, and he should get a chance to show whether he can help or not. If Jovic is going to stay in the regular rotation despite how poorly he’s played for a while now, Conwell deserves a crack at minutes.
Fit matters on a roster built around superstars, and that’s where Conwell appears to have an edge. He looks cleaner for this group than Jovic does, at least on paper, and that matters when the supporting cast is being sorted out.
The other reality is that Conwell is going to need to play eventually anyway. Klay Thompson will likely sit out some nights, injuries are part of the deal, and Spoelstra usually gives young players those openings when they come around.
After what happened against Minnesota, the Heat can’t just run back the same rotation and call it good. The next move should be giving Conwell a chance to prove whether he belongs.
If he’s not ready, he can go back to the bench and keep developing. If he is, he might be exactly the kind of backcourt help this team needs.
In Other News...
Heat May Not Be Done Adding Veterans Around Giannis
The Heat already spent the offseason reshaping the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo, bringing in Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. to add veteran scoring and shooting before opening the regular season against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Even after that flurry of moves, Miami appears to be keeping its options open as it looks for more proven help to support its new centerpiece.
One name now circulating is Jrue Holiday, the veteran guard currently with the Portland Trail Blazers and a player who would reunite with Antetokounmpo after their time together in Milwaukee. Nothing is confirmed, and the idea remains speculative for now, but it underscores how aggressively Miami may continue to hunt for established veterans if the right deal presents itself. [Read more 🡒]
Bam Adebayo Is Already Facing Heat Pressure After One Game
Opening night brought the kind of early-season scrutiny Bam Adebayo knows comes with being the face of Miamis frontcourt. After the Heat fell to Minnesota, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins quickly raised the bar on what he thinks Adebayo needs to bring offensively, arguing that Miami will need more than an All-Star-level scoring night if it wants to stay in the Eastern Conference mix.
Adebayos line was solid on paper, with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, but the bigger concern was how the game looked when he was on the floor. The Heat were outscored by 28 points with him in the game, and the conversation now is less about whether he can anchor Miamis defense than whether his offense has to jump to another level for this team to hold its ground. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Already Face One Rotation Decision After Ugly Loss
After an ugly loss to the Timberwolves, the Heat are already staring at an early rotation question that goes beyond just one bad night. The issues were obvious enough to prompt a look at the bench mix, especially with Miami wanting more reliable three-point shooting and a steadier hand behind the starting point guard spot.
Simone Fontecchio and rookie Ryan Conwell are among the names in play as Erik Spoelstra weighs possible tweaks ahead of the next game against the Pistons. Whether the answer is more spacing, more playmaking or simply a different look, Miami appears ready to test a few options before the rotation settles into place. [Read more 🡒]