Q: The Heat signed four players and I haven’t heard of any of them. How does this make them better? – Paolo.
A: The same way players such as Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and even Caleb Martin made the Heat better. For as much as the Heat are in a spot where some instant gratification would be welcomed, the developmental process nonetheless has to remain ongoing. It is more than likely that none of the four signed Thursday will be on the opening roster. But it also is highly likely that Jahmir Young, Gabe Madsen, Trevor Keels and Dain Dainja all will be on the Heat’s G League roster. And that’s a start, because you have to start somewhere with your developmental pipeline. No, not A-list players, but potentially the type of players you will need to augment an A-list player, should he arrive. Thursday was about the long view, a view that still matters in the NBA.
Q: Why did the Hornets have a sports-betting night? – Alex.
A: Because it was a way to create revenue from a sponsor. And isn’t that largely what the NBA (and all of the sporting realm) has come to be about? But one would think that staging it on the night Terry Rozier returns with the Heat and on Terry’s birthday perhaps was not optimal. To their credit, the Hornets scuttled that timing.
Q: Nikola Jovic as starting point guard? – James.
A: I have no issue with the idea of Nikola Jovic being the Heat’s primary playmaker, the one advancing the ball and getting the Heat into offense. But, as previously stressed, any Jovic positional designation is about the defensive side of the ball. And it’s not as if you’re going to have him defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trae Young, Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry or Tyrese Maxey. Bigger point guards? Perhaps. But there are limits to such math.