NBA Miami Heat

Shawne Williams’ Poor Performance Shouldn’t Lead To Miami Heat Benching Him

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By @outofboundsjay

October 31, 2014; Steve Mitchell; Shawne Williams

Steve Mitchell- USA Today Sports

There were a lot of positive things to talk about in the Miami Heat‘s first home win of the season against the Washington Wizards. Chris Bosh had surfaced as the primary threat on offense, while Dwyane Wade was looking extra spry. Even role players like Norris Cole, James Ennis and Shabazz Napier all made steady contributions. The one asterisk on this entire game was the poor shooting performance from starting power forward Shawne Williams.

Due to his poor performance, some are already calling for the veteran forward’s minutes to be reduced or even eliminated from the starting lineup. What many are failing to realize is that this was just one game, and Williams was a steady contributor throughout the preseason, averaging 9.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 block while shooting 44 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. In the wake of Josh McRoberts‘ continued absence, Williams is by far the best replacement on the roster in terms of additional shooting and quality rebounding.

One game shouldn’t warrant a player’s dismissal from the starting lineup, yet the Heat may be inclined to insert Udonis Haslem as a starter to see if his physical presence makes a difference on the offensive side of the ball. This will most likely be a very short-lived move, as McRoberts is due back in the lineup any day now. Either way, Williams needs to be given another chance as a starter to prove his horrendous shooting in the Heat’s first game was a fluke.

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

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