Headed into one of the biggest games of the regular season, Wednesday night’s battle against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat own a record of 9-10, right in the middle of the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
If the postseason were to begin Wednesday, the Heat would have the No. 7 seed in the East. Not exactly where Miami wants to be, at this point. But there have been major ups and downs in the first quarter of the season, and the Heat have plenty of time to improve their place.
Veteran guard Tyler Herro has been the shining star of this very dim start for the Heat. Averaging All-Star-like numbers with around 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game on 46/40/86 shooting percentages.
“He’s having a hell of a year, he deserves that All-Star nod,” Heat star center Bam Adebayo said, after Herro’s 40 point performance against the Detroit Pistons last month. “We’ve been pushing him for the last three, four years for that nod.”
Herro is definitely making his case for that appearance, and it has helped the Heat stay afloat despite a rough start for Adebayo and some injury concerns for Jimmy Butler. In fact, if Herro can keep up these stellar performances, it bodes well for the Heat if they find consistency and health elsewhere.
Adebayo’s struggles have not gone unnoticed in Miami, averaging his lowest points per game (15.6) since he became the starting center. This comes as a massive surprise after the showing he put on for Team USA in the Summer Olympics in Paris, as well as him adding the 3-point shot to his arsenal.
“For me, it’s not losing confidence in who I am,” Adebayo said, regarding his shooting slump. “It’s not overthinking the game too much because then you will start making other mistakes.”
Ups and downs also sum up the Heat’s game-by game-performances, having a great showing against the Toronto Raptors one night, then losing to the same team two nights later. That same exact scenario also played out two weeks prior against the Indiana Pacers.
Being consistently inconsistent is a recipe for disaster in an NBA season, especially one where you already put yourself in a hole in the first 20 games.
It won’t be easy to climb the standings in the East, especially with strong teams from last season that are below them like the Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers battling injuries to start the year.
Amongst all the chaos of the Heat’s season, they continue to do the one thing on a consistent basis in the coach Erik Spoelstra era: Finding underrated gems. This year, it is second-round pick Pelle Larsson, the Swedish guard from the University of Arizona.
“Pelle played so hard,” Spoelstra said last month after a game. “(He was) picking up full court, guarding bigger guys, and throwing his body around.”
The team and staff have raved about Larsson’s ability to fit anywhere on an NBA court and he has proved that, logging 36 minutes and closing out the fourth quarter and overtime in a game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Meanwhile, an acquisition from the trade deadline last year hasn’t panned out as anticipated. Terry Rozier ended last season with a neck injury and then his early struggles have not helped Miami’s start. Using a 2027 first-round pick and Kyle Lowry in a trade for Rozier may come back to bite Miami.
Indeed, it’s been a disappointing start to the campaign, as the Heat look to avoid an NBA play-in tournament bid for the first time in three seasons, and qualify directly for the playoffs. Perhaps Wednesday’s visit from James will be the beginning of a turnaround.
