The Miami Heat have assigned rookie Shabazz Napier to the NBA‘s D-League despite playing well in his first season.
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When the Miami Heat acquired Shabazz Napier this past offseason, many assumed the move was simply to appease LeBron James who was a massive fan of the UConn product.
Nobody will ever know if that’s the case, especially considering James left in free agency. But alas, Napier was now a member of the Miami Heat however his stay at the NBA level was mildly short lived as the guard has been demoted to the NBA’s D-League.
In addition to Hassan Whiteside, the Miami Heat sent Shabazz Napier to the Sioux Falls Skyforce despite the former Huskie playing over 30 minutes in a game earlier this month.
While Shabazz Napier wasn’t lighting anybody up by any stretch, the rookie was playing decent ball, certainly well enough to keep him on the NBA roster. He also was seeing decent floor time occasionally (though recently saw his minutes dip) so it’s not as of Napier was struggling to get on the floor.
Through 23 games, Shabazz Napier was averaging nearly 6 points on 43 percent shooting, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in 21 minutes per contest. For a rookie playing limited time, you can’t really expect much more though Pat Riley could be frustrated with Napier’s lack of defense or progress which is why he’s sending him to get further coaching.
It’s likely he’ll find himself back on an NBA roster before the end of the month. It’s unknown if Hassan Whiteside will be as lucky.
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