By now, it is a well-known fact that the Miami Heat are in danger of being the first NBA team to have to pay the repeater tax. The Heat can get under the tax by trading both Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen, but as of right now, both players are still on the roster. Andersen, in particular, doesn't seem to be too worried about being traded and is working on his game, and more specifically his three-point jump shot, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Andersen has reportedly been one of the Heat players who has consistently been practicing at the teams facility this offseason, and it seems as though he has been working on his perimeter jumper. Andersen downplayed the idea that his three point jump shot was getting better after the Heat released a video of him allegedly hitting 16 threes in a row.
"That's photo-cropped, I think they just chopped it all up, and made it look like I made 16, 18 in a row, whatever it was," said Andersen.
Andersen reportedly made these comments in a sarcastic tone, so it is unknown how true it is that he hit 16 threes in a row but the "Birdman" has been shooting more threes in recent years. In his first 11 seasons, Anderson only attempted 26 three pointers (while making four of them) the past two years, though Andersen has taken 25 and made 7 of them good for a 28 percent clip. 28 percent isn't a very good three point percentage, but it seems as though he is working on it and can make it another weapon in his repertoire.
If Andersen does remain with the Heat this year, the 37-year-old might struggle to find playing time. The Heat's frontcourt is stacked with Hassan Whiteside, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, and Josh McRoberts, so Andersen may be stuck at the end of the bench. Aside from Whiteside, all of those other big men can make perimeter jump shots, so "Birdman" might be working on his long range shooting to keep up with his teammates. It certainly won't hurt Andersen's chances of earning playing time if he can hit threes to go along with his constant energy.
