The Heat did not gut their roster to acquire Giannis

The Miami Heat have been star hunting for nearly half a decade. It is about time the Heat got what they've been craving.

They finally landed their whale in Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Heat parted ways with Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jamie Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakucionis, but they improved their paint presence on both sides and finally have a guy again.

Miami has not had an MVP-level player since 2014, when LeBron James was sticking his elbow in rims. Jimmy Butler was special and rose to the top-5ish level in the postseason, but that is Giannis day in and out.

The Heat did not gut their roster. You do whatever you can for a player of Giannis' caliber after being mediocre for years. Miami still has solid pieces around its new superstar. They have some shooting and a potential top-of-the-league defense. Erik Spoelstra has made it work with less.

The Heat have shooters for Giannis

Giannis collapses every single defensive coverage there is. Teams wall up, double team, trap, and blitz Giannis. This opens the door for a lethal shooter like Norman Powell and the Heat's capable snipers.

Powell shot 40 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s last season. The last time he played with a bonadide superstar in Kawhi Leonard in 2019, Powell shot 43 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s. Powell can fit with the elites.

The Heat may lose Powell unless he takes a massive pay cut, per Brian Windhorst, but if he stays, Giannis will take a boatload of shots and responsibility. Powell would only need to worry about knocking down open triples and taking defenders the cup when they close out.

The Heat gave up shooting in Herro and Ware to acquire Giannis, but they kept capable shooters. Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins both shot 40 percent on respectable volume. Mitchell has more to prove shooting-wise, but he's been solid for a few seasons (40 percent from 3 in his last 144 games).

Neither of those guys force coaches to push the "leave him at no cost" button, but they shoot it good enough to make Giannis believe he's kicking the ball out for good reason.

When considering spacing, keep in mind that Giannis forces defenders to leave their man. Play him one-on-one without help defense, and he'll be on his way to a 50-piece

Bobby Portis follows Giannis to Miami, and he's another capable shooter. Bam Adebayo has added the 3 to his game, and boy, has he had his moments.

Bam only shot 32 percent from deep last year. Miami needs him to be a more consistent shooter because it is in there. He should be at a 35-36 percent clip with the jumper he has and the space defenses give him. Bam needs to be more dependable from deep playing next to a downhill destroyer like Giannis.

The Heat need more shooting to fill out the roster, but this is a good start. The starting five outside of the Greek Freak is about to see some of the cleanest looks they've had in their career. On the other side of the floor, Miami has only one weak link among projected rotation players.

Miami should have a top 3 defense

Adebayo has single-handedly made the Heat a passable defense for years. Even when Miami started miniature defensive liability guards, the Heat were still fine because Adebayo is a rotating tank. Now this defensive monster is playing next to Giannis? Yeah, that is the best defensive tandem in basketball. Full stop.

Spolestra has not had two defensive tanks like this. Both Adebayo and Giannis thrive as roaming defenders, but now one of them will be the primary rim protector with the other covering their backside. Spoelstra has elite defenders to toy with.

Mitchell is a rottweiler guarding the ball. He hounds ball handlers with his sturdy frame and puts his body on the line. Mitchell took 36 charges, only second on Miami to the hustling Pelle Larsson.

Larsson is going to surprise folks next season. "How do the Heat always find diamonds in the rough?" will be the sentiment around Larrson's name. He lays it all on the court every trip down the floor. Larsson can guard perimeter players in a frustrating manner.

Wiggins can guard multiple positions with his rangy arms and quick feet. Wiggins is the Heat's go-to perimeter stopper. Now he can press up even more because he has Adebayo and Giannis behind him. Miami needs to get Wiggins' contract in order. Either he accepts his $30M player option, or Miami needs to re-sign him if he declines the option.

Powell is not the strongest defender, but even he should be a touch better knowing he can take chances with those two behind him. Miami has had elite defenses without this type of individual defense infrastructure.

The Heat did not gut their roster. They traded players who played a role in Miami landing in the Play-In Tournament for the fourth straight year.

This Heat package was referred to as weak or not enough for weeks by national talking heads. You take this deal every time if you're the Miami Heat, especially with their history of striking out on stars.

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