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OPINION: Miami Heat Should Target Free Agent Shooting Guard
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- OPINION: Miami Heat Should Target Free Agent Shooting Guard
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The Miami Heat 's season opener was one to forget as they lost by 25 points at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. There were certainly some highlights as new acquisition Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to not have missed a beat when it comes to being the MVP-type player and Klay Thompson also turned back the clock early in the game, shooting 50 percent from three-point range. However, despite the early strong run from Thompson, the three-point shooting was a big issue for the team throughout the game . The Heat shot a dismal eight-for-33 (24.2 percent) from beyond the arc.
Last season, the Heat were an average to slightly below average three-point shooting team as they ranked at No. 18 in the league in terms of their 36.1 percent team three-point field goal percentage. As part of the blockbuster deal for Antetokounmpo, the team parted with three players who shot above 37 percent from beyond the arc. Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis were all elite three-point shooters. Also, Norman Powell shot 38 percent from three-point range and left for the Chicago Bulls in free agency. These exits left a sizable void on the roster.
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Miami's answer this offseason to replace those exits was signing both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Thompson to short-term contracts. Hardaway Jr. has quietly been one of the best three-point shooters in the league over the past few seasons, even posting his best season last year with the Denver Nuggets while Thompson is a historic three-point shooter who has very slowly been declining since leaving the Golden State Warriors in 2024. Now, it is certainly premature to overreact to the Heat's bad three-point shooting performance on opening night but there is another veteran currently sitting in free agency who Pat Riley should keep an eye on.
Gary Harris, 32, was recently waived by the Detroit Pistons and is the best option for the Heat to improve their three-point shooting through available free agents. He has been one of the more undervalued shooting guards over the past few seasons, coming off a season where he appeared in 48 games for the Milwaukee Bucks and shot 41.2 percent from three-point range. If the Heat are set on having this be a veteran-heavy rotation this season, then Harris certainly fits that quota and has years of experience as a catch-and-shoot machine.
Thompson and Hardaway Jr. should be perfectly capable of performing well as shooters from beyond the arc but if Miami just wants one more player to help secure that aspect of the offense, they should look no further than Harris.
