The Miami Heat play on October 3rd in their first preseason game. They match up against the Toronto Raptors in Quebec Canada. The Raptors have been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons with the Kawhi Leonard saga playing out very publicly. Heat fan eagerly awaits the debut of their prized catch of the offseason in Giannis Antetokounmpo. They may only get a glimpse of him tonight though.

The Heat will be playing a large portion of their back-ups, rookies and two players. There were a few late additions to training camp on exhibit 10’s and they could get playing time in this game. Here are three players that could see playing time that Heat fans may not know.

The Three Players You May Not Know

1) Ian Scheffielin | 6’8” | 238lbs | Forward | Rookie

Ian is a long shot to make the roster with the depth on this version of Heat. He possesses a versatile skill set that could develop into a classic diamond in the rough that the development staff routinely uncovers. Ian did an interview on September 28th and he looks night and day different from Summer League. His explosiveness will show up a lot more in preseason.

He has the skill, shooting and power in the post to fill up the stat sheet. Once he gets in Heat shape his nonstop motor can shine through. That is why I believe he is destined for Sioux Falls and gets a real shot at a roster spot in the following season.  

2) Bez Mbeng | 6’4” | 185lbs | Guard | 1 year

Bez played 15 games for the Utah Jazz last season in his rookie year. His nonstop energy showed up on tape. He has a relentless motor and surprisingly nice court vision. He averaged 4.1 asts per game in 15 minutes. He is very quick and finished very well in the paint. He shot 63.8% from 2pt range on 4.6 attempts per game. The big thing about him is that he plays defense also. He averaged 2.3 steals per game. He was constantly in the passing lanes leading to easy baskets. He will provide good competition for rookie Ryan Conwell and Tre Donaldson.

3) Lester Quinones | 6’5” | 208lbs | Guard | 4th year

Lester made his mark by being an absolute sniper for the Golden State Warriors in their free-flowing offensive system. He played 40+ games for them. He shoots 34.6% from deep. He has nice since and length to get his shots off. The thing that will work against him with the Heat is that he doesn’t much else. He isn’t going to create his own shot, rebound or facilitate. He will have to do more than shoot to make this Heat squad.

The starters are likely to play very little tonight, but it will be interesting to see which one of the young players you are looking forward to watching. The rookies like Conwell, I believe, are going to take a lion share of the usage throughout the game. However, I believe a couple of these guys will catch your attention because they can really play. Especially Ian and Bez. Let me know what you think on social media.

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