The Resurgence of Danny Granger

By chriscruz on October 8, 2014

What can be made of the addition of Danny Granger? Some say that he will be a bench player, providing the kind of statistics that Michael Beasley provided last season, with no real effect to the team’s performance. Some say not even that. But I think that Granger has real potential on this team. He is, of course, not in line to be making the All-Star team again this season, nor is he in line to even crack the starting lineup. But I think that Granger gives the Miami Heat a possibility on both sides of the ball that they sorely missed last season.

Last season, the Heat didn’t have someone who could come in for Dwyane Wade or LeBron James, and give the Heat solid defense and shooting. They had Ray Allen, who was more of a specialty player. He did one thing, and did it better than everyone else. But he didn’t give them a two-way player. Their next options were Shane Battier, Roger Mason and James Jones.

Granger gives Miami something that they missed last year. Namely, a small forward who has range that extends to 3-point range, and can hit effectively. Don’t forget that he also gave Indiana nearly a steal and a block per game for four years. He can play both sides of the ball, and to have someone come on the court and do that, giving Wade the rest he is going to need, could prove to be huge for the Heat. He is only two years removed from the 18.7 points per game scorer from the 2011-12 season. Granger is only 31 years old, and may still have life just as Battier did for the few seasons he was able to really contribute to the success of Miami’s runs.

Could we see a player come off the bench and score nine to 10 points per game, giving the Heat the same activity that Allen did? It is certainly possible.

Christopher Cruz is a Miami Heat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google