The Miami Heat have had an extremely productive offseason, specifically when you look at the additions they have made to the bench. Gerald Green and Amar'e Stoudemire were signed as free agents, and Justise Winslow was selected with the tenth overall pick in the draft, so this team is now very deep. While that is all well and good for the Heat, one person it is not good for is James Ennis, the Heat's second round pick in 2013.
Ennis had a pretty decent year in his 2014 rookie season, and the Heat were extremely high on him, but it appears they may not have room for him on this year's roster. Ennis has said that since the Heat's roster is stacked and his contract is non-guaranteed, he is under a lot of stress and is worried he might not make the team, according to Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post.
Ennis hasn't done anything in the summer league to prove that he has taken a step forward from last season—if anything, he seems to have taken a step backward. In six summer league games, Ennis averaged just eight points per game, while shooting 31 percent from the field and 11 percent from three—numbers that are hard to imagine.
In his rookie season, Ennis was a solid contributor for the Heat as he played 17 minutes per game and averaged 5 points and just under three rebounds per game. He shot 41 percent from the field and 33 percent from three. In his two years of college at Long Beach State, Ennis' shooting percentages were great as he shot 49 percent from the field and 35 percent from three.
Right now, Ennis is reportedly in a rough place mentally as he has described his game currently as "terrible." He also feels as though he hasn't improved at all since last season. Aside from his low shooting numbers, he has been turning the ball over too much in the summer league and, at this point, it seems like he is in his own head.
Ennis' chances of making the team may have decreased when Winslow fell to the Heat at No. 10 in the draft, but he also isn't doing himself any favors with his play this summer. Regardless of whether he makes the Heat or not, Ennis is a talented player who brings a lot to the table. He is crazy athletic, as shown by dunks like this one, and he will likely get a shot somewhere else if it doesn't work out for him with the Heat.
