Daequan Cook is the Future

Daequan Cook had 17 points in his Heat debut, but that was hardly the headline. It was how quickly he scored and how precise his stroke was.

The kid from OSU was not setting the nets on fire at any time this preseason. He was noted for his age, and usually with his talent his lack of production was excused. Yet, it seemed somewhat off.

I pegged this kid to be another Ray Allen-type scorer - a real quick shot, athletic and explosive and can find his spot anywhere on the floor. He has great awareness of how to move without the ball and find a way to score. The problem is, execution.

The other thing this kid has is an enormous ego and confidence to play full time at this level. Both assets are palpable, and needed to push someone to be a very good or great player in this league.

Concerns abound. Will he find himself shooting like this another night in the NBA this season? Heck, will he even find himself coming off the bench anytime during this season with Riley dishing out PT to whomever he feels comfortable with? Let's hope so because Cook is the future.

Not in the way Dwyane Wade is. Wade is the face of this franchise - he is actually making Shaq matter at this point of his career. Cook, however, could be an excellent complementary player that can help this franchise not just win championships, but help the team transition into a future without Shaq. Right now, the Heat is limited on its outside shooting - and they can afford to be because of the space Shaq creates.

A backcourt of Wade and Cook might be an interesting thing to watch develop, too. Wade usually gets the ball in crunchtime and if Cook can play confidently and show he can play defense, his ability to play without the ball would complement Wade's game and make him even more dangerous as he can choose where he wants to make a play on the floor.

Let's face it, Riley is only coaching to win another championship. That said, Cook is probably far from his mind - even more so than Dorell Wright, of course. But it is tantalizing to think about Cook's abilities in this offense, his skill set as a complementary score, only underlines his future promise to this team. Was last night against Indy a preview or an aberration? Time will tell.