MIAMI (AP) – Shaquille O’Neal will never be mistaken for a great shooter. His percentage annually ranks among the NBA’s leaders, but only because his success rate is fueled by a steady stream of dunks.

Still, O’Neal will likely be one of the key components of the Miami Heat’s perimeter game this season – merely by occupying space around the basket. His 7-foot-1, 335-pound frame attracts plenty of attention from defenders, and the Heat’s guard corps could reap the benefits. Without a legitimate post presence a year ago – 6-foot-9 Brian Grant was Miami’s starting center, and he didn’t have a 20-point game all season – defenses were free to attack guards Eddie Jones and Dwyane Wade. This year, that won’t be the case.

“Once they get used to it, it’s going to help them realize that the game will be easier,” O’Neal said of his new teammates. “Once they throw the ball into me, their guy has to do something. He has to look. He has to double. And when he does, I’ll get it back out to them.”

Those words are sweet music to Jones, who played with O’Neal for parts of three seasons in Los Angeles. The lacking inside game perhaps pained Jones more than any Heat shooter last year; his 40.9 percentage from the field was the lowest of his 10-year career. With O’Neal as his teammate, Jones shot betted than 46 percent – mainly because he had extra room to operate.

“Everything over the last couple years has been movement with me, trying to get to the rim, fighting double teams,” Jones said. “Now I sit back on the perimeter, throw it inside, cut a little bit or wait for those guys to double him so he kicks it out.”

Miami plays its second preseason game on Friday night, traveling to St. Petersburg to play Orlando. The Heat kick off a three-game, four-night test that will gauge the team’s conditioning and how O’Neal is meshing with his new teammates. No one in Heat camp is saying the season will be easy -but no one’s denying that having O’Neal around makes life much easier, either.

“All Shaq has to do is run and put his head underneath the rim,” said forward Christian Laettner, one of six free agents who signed with Miami after O’Neal arrived. “He’s so big and strong that there has to be one or two guys guarding him. … He makes the game easier for everyone.”

Miami loaded up with shooters in the offseason. The mission was to maximize the advantage of having O’Neal attract constant double-teams and to replace the likes of the departed Rafer Alston and Lamar Odom, who combined for nearly half of Miami’s 3-pointers a year ago.

So, the Heat lured two of the league’s best big-man jump shooters in Laettner and Michael Doleac. Another pair of free-agent shooters followed, with Damon Jones coming from Milwaukee and Wesley Person arriving from Atlanta.

Coach Stan Van Gundy, however, also cautions that just having O’Neal on the court doesn’t make improvement automatic. And that message is getting through.

“Shaq’s going to get us the open shots,” said Damon Jones, who hit 98 shots from 3-point range for the Bucks last season. “It’s going to be on us to knock them down. Making shots is the only way we’ll make it easier on him.”

AP-ES-10-15-04 0226EDT