Heading into this upcoming season, there is plenty optimism surrounding the Miami Heat with eyes toward reaching the playoffs.

With training camp now on deck, the Heat have a few questions to figure in terms of their starting lineup for the upcoming campaign. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, veteran forward James Johnson appears to be the favorite to earn the starting role.

We hear James Johnson is the clear favorite. The Heat likes how Kelly Olynyk played off the bench with Boston and was impressed with how Johnson played as a starter late last season, when Luke Babbitt was injured.

He is coming off his best individual campaign in his first year in Miami where he averaged career-highs across the board with 12.8 points on 47.9 percent shooting from the field with 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.1 blocks per game. His nine 20-point performances off the bench last year were tied for fourth-most in a single season in team history.

The 30-year-old has a chance to latch onto a significant offensive role this upcoming season in the frontcourt alongside big man Hassan Whiteside that could form a highly-dependable duo that can impact the game on both ends of the court.

The addition of Kelly Olynk in the offseason will increase the level of competition, but he has shown much comfort in becoming a reliable contributor off the bench. Essentially, this is James Johnson's job to lose in training camp and the preseason.