3 players who could break into Heat starting lineup

Miami Heat player who could break into starting lineup: 1. Josh Richardson

Josh Richardson spent the first four years of his career with Miami and spent the last two years as a full-time starter. He has bounced around a lot in the years since, first to Philadelphia as part of the Jimmy Butler trade, then to Dallas, Boston, San Antonio, and New Orleans. Now he’s back with Miami, the team he played his best basketball with.

A lot has changed for the Heat and for Richardson since he departed in 2019, but it’s not hard to get nostalgic over the player we once thought Richardson would become. He averaged 16.6 points and 4.1 assists in his final go-around with Miami. He looked the part of a potential two-way star, or at least a high-end starter.

His career has since gone south, but Spoelstra understands what makes Richardson tick — maybe better than any other coach. The Heat frequently extract maximum value from flawed, mismatched pieces. Richardson remains a sturdy perimeter defender and he can still hit enough 3s to boost the offense (36.5 percent on 4.5 attempts per game last season). He’s not without his share of flaws, but the Heat are short on quality perimeter defense outside of Butler, Martin, and the occasional Lowry flop. Richardson can lock in and handle difficult on-ball assignments. His motor runs hot and the Heat need someone to chase guards around, especially when Butler is going half-speed in the regular season.

Richardson is not a point guard — please stop trying to make PG Richardson happen, it’s not going to happen — but the Heat have enough ball-handling power between Butler and Herro to credibly favor Richardson over Lowry in the guard rotation. That would allow Lowry to set the table for the second unit and lead lineups without Butler, which is potentially the best setup at this stage of his career.

There’s a chance Richardson’s heyday is long gone and he’s simply not reliable enough offensively to warrant a significant role. If any team can unlock the old magic, however, it’s the team that unlocked it in the first place. Spoelstra should be able to get Richardson bought into the correct role and style of play.