Spoelstra on Heat's Shawne Williams: 'Keep your eye on him'

Not much was made of the Miami Heat signing Shawne Williams in August.

Now the journeyman forward could find himself starting for the four-time defending Eastern Conference champions come opening night.

With new Heat power forward Josh McRoberts still sidelined following toe surgery, Williams has been starting in his place for the majority of the preseason, including the last three games.

"Keep your eye on him," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Tuesday, according to the Sun Sentinel's Shandel Richardson. "He's an excellent shooter and in much better shape than he's been in before. He just needs to be comfortable with where and when and how he'll get to those shots. He's one of the better shooters we have in our gym."

Williams, who is a career 33 percent three-point shooter, lost 25 pounds this summer through strict dieting.

For his part, Williams sounds like he's staying level-headed.

"If I'm not going to start, I'm going to always stay ready," he said. "This is the NBA. I just want to do whatever it takes for this team to win. … I just want to be a great teammate."

Williams has posted career averages of 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 17 minutes per game through parts of six seasons with the Pacers, Mavericks, Knicks, Nets and Lakers. He has also spent time in China and the D-League since being selected 17th overall by the Pacers in the 2006 Draft.

Williams has only cracked the 1000-minute mark in a season once, with the Knicks in 2010-11.