NBA Miami Heat

Danny Granger Acquisition Finally Paying Off For Miami Heat

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By @MattSamFolk

Danny Granger, Blake Griffin

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

During the offseason, Pat Riley sought cheap, quality veterans to build the Miami Heat around LeBron James. Forward Josh McRoberts was meant to be the jewel, a passing stretch forward capable of stretching the floor with his shot, distributing to the Heat’s main scorers and defending opposing bigs.

The other acquisition intended to support LeBron was forward Danny Granger, a once-great scorer who Riley hoped could spell James and sometimes play alongside him as a three-and-D wing. LeBron, of course, bolted for home, but Granger still signed to play down in Miami.

Through the first 25 or so games, Granger provided little impact and suffered minor injuries to hinder his effectiveness early on. In the last couple weeks, Granger has finally had a huge impact in the Heat rotation designed by Erik Spoelstra. Tonight, against the Orlando Magic, Granger gave Miami a big spark, albeit in a losing effort 102-101. The forward poured in 21 points including six made three-pointers, boosting his strong play of the last five games up to 12 ppg on 22/39 from the field.

Miami’s record is still troublesome as the Heat sit at 14-18 with a shocking 6-12 home record, but the team’s scoring and shooting on the wing is receiving a much needed jolt from one its major offseason signings.

The Heat lost at the buzzer in the return of star forward Chris Bosh, yet positive signs from Granger to young center Hassan Whiteside, along with the stellar play from guard Dwyane Wade, should start to pay off in the win column soon enough.

Look for Spoelstra to expand Granger’s nightly role to include more time as a small-ball four along with minutes spelling forward Luol Deng at small forward in an effort to get as many scorers on the court as possible.

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