Dewayne Dedmon Will Provide The Heat Depth At Center Once Again
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Miami Heat center Dewayne Dedmon was an important piece during their stretches without Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo.
It is why the Heat rewarded him with a two-year, $9-million contract during free agency. Dedmon joined guard Victor Oladipo as the two players the Heat have re-signed in the offseason.
“Dewayne brings essential attributes to the center position, including size, length, physicality, rebounding, scoring and a defensive mentality to protect the rim," Heat team president Pat Riley said. "He has proven to be a great veteran for us and we are fortunate to have him back.”
Last season Dedmon provided the Heat a size advantage in matchups against smaller teams. He was also a valuable rebounder and defender, helping the Heat rank in the top five defensively. The veteran center averaged 6.3 points, 0.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds, which were second on the team behind Adebayo.
After being slowed by a midseason knee injury, Dedmon struggled to work his way back into the rotation. He was a non-factor in the playoffs, with coach Erik Spoelstra turning to P.J. Tucker as the backup center. With Tucker gone, Dedmon will have to play a bigger role next season.
Dedmon, who was brought to the Heat two seasons ago, had his most productive year since 2016 with the San Antonio Spurs. He played 67 games, the second-highest of his career.
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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
