With Bam Adebayo’s much-needed breakout game against the Washington Wizards, the Miami Heat’s starting lineup looks closer to what they were looking for during training camp in the new five-out offense.

However, bench rotations are much less established for several reasons. One of them is that the Heat haven’t had a fully available bench lineup in any game thus far. Kevin Love looks to make his season debut tonight against the Sacramento Kings, and Josh Richardson just made his season debut on Saturday.

Despite being questionable to play in tonight’s game, Jaime Jáquez Jr. is the only player with guaranteed playing time off the bench. He is averaging 9.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 37.8 percent shooting and 50 percent from three-point range. Even with his lower efficiency, he is valued because he is the only player similar to Jimmy Butler.

After him, nothing is set in stone. Coach Erik Spoelstra has talked several times this season about having so many weapons and depth on the roster, which means it will take time until final rotation decisions are made. Injuries aside, it’s hard to see Haywood Highsmith, Love and Alec Burks not on the bench after Jaquez.

Burks has earned recognition for his shooting. He leads the NBA in three-point shooting at 72.7 percent. With Duncan Robinson struggling and the Heat undefeated in every game Burks has played, he deserves this spot. As long as Love replicates what he did last year for the team in terms of forward passing, three-point shooting and solid rebounding, there is no doubt that he is the best backup center behind Adebayo.

Lastly, Highsmith deserves consistent minutes because he is the Heat’s best defender behind Adebayo and Butler. With the departure of Caleb Martin during the offseason, there are no other players who defend forwards and guards as well as he does. His main flaw is his offense, but because the Heat staggered their starters to play on the bench, Highsmith’s offensive limitations don’t outweigh his defensive talents.

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be contacted at [email protected] or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook.