Heat’s Yurtseven out of rotation for now, but staying ready: ‘I don’t want to lose a beat’
Miami Heat rookie center Omer Yurtseven went from collecting double-doubles to racking up DNP-CDs. That’s life as part of the Heat’s deep roster.
After shining as a fill-in starter for Bam Adebayo, Yurtseven has dropped out of the Heat’s rotation since Adebayo returned from a seven-week absence stemming from right thumb surgery. Yurtseven didn’t play in Friday’s home win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
“It’s hard, obviously, because you catch that rhythm and you have that raging fire to just keep going,” Yurtseven said to the Miami Herald ahead of Saturday’s night’s matchup against the Toronto Raptors at FTX Arena. “But I trust in the coaches and the Heat culture, and I believe if they want me and need me in the game that they know that I’m ready.”
Adebayo was moved back into the starting lineup upon his return and veteran center Dewayne Dedmon has held on to his backup center role off the bench. Without a need for a third center in the Heat’s rotation, Yurtseven has played a total of just nine minutes in the first six games since Adebayo’s return and has also logged three DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) during that time.
This isn’t too surprising, considering Adebayo is an All-Star caliber center and Dedmon has proven to be one of the most effective reserve centers in the NBA. The Heat has been 2.5 points per 100 possessions better this season when Dedmon has been on the court compared to when he hasn’t.
But the decision to keep Yurtseven, 23, out of the rotation isn’t as clear-cut as it seems because of his eye-opening production while Adebayo was out. Yurtseven averaged 13.6 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in a starting role in the 10 games leading up to Adebayo’s Jan. 17 return, and the Heat outscored opponents by an impressive 11.3 points per 100 possessions while Yurtseven was on the court during that stretch.
“I think it was just opportunity meeting preparation,” said Yurtseven, who spent the first month of the season out of the rotation before being pushed into a bigger role because of Adebayo’s thumb injury. “I was obviously not expecting any of it. As soon as it happened, I just had to shift my full focus to figuring it out every game, every opponent, every possession, every coverage. I think those two months, you can’t put a price on it. It’s priceless. You can’t really get that action no matter how much you work out.”
Yurtseven’s rebounding was elite, as he finished with double-digit rebounds in 14 consecutive games before Adebayo’s return. That’s the longest such streak by a rookie in Heat history and stands alone as the second-longest overall streak in team history behind only Hassan Whiteside’s string of 19 consecutive games in 2017.
Yurtseven also grabbed at least 12 rebounds in 11 straight games while Adebayo was out, which is the longest such streak in Heat history. The last rookie to pull that off in at least 11 consecutive games was Blake Griffin during the 2010-11 season.
“He says, ‘You never know. The opportunity might be next game,’” Yurtseven said of the advice he has received from Heat captain Udonis Haslem. “Both guys [Adebayo and Dedmon] could get two fouls and the opportunity might be there. Three fouls before the half or four fouls, I may need to go into the game and give a boost for five minutes. All I can do is be ready for that and keep going.”
Yurtseven is working to stay ready for his next opportunity by playing in more two-on-two games with teammates on the practice court. After games that he doesn’t play in or barely plays in, he heads straight to the weight room for a lifting session that’s followed by a cardio workout on the curve treadmill or air bike.
“It’s more staying ready and trying to be as fresh as possible, but also push myself in the morning workout and the lifts and everything,” said Yurtseven, whose $1.8 million salary with the Heat for next season is non-guaranteed. “Just channel all the energy I had and still have to all the workouts I have. That fire kind of fuels my workouts.
“When I see guys play, I don’t want to lose a beat. I have that in my mind and I just go hard in everything that I do. The court workouts, I go like at game speed and that’s all you can do to not lose a beat.”
That’s the challenge that comes with being part of such a deep team. But instead of complaining about his situation, Yurtseven has decided to embrace it.
“He understands the situation he’s in,” Haslem said. “He just has to fall in line like everybody else is expected to. I think it’s a system and if you watch the guys in front of him, you understand how it goes. Gabe [Vincent], Max [Strus], all these guys, nobody is immune to it. When guys come out, they got to step in and play. When guys come in, their minutes change a little bit. I think the thing that we’ve been able to do is make sure that those guys understand that their role is just as important as anybody else.”
‘HE CAN TAKE HIS TIME’
Heat guard Kyle Lowry will miss his seventh straight game on Saturday against the Raptors because of undisclosed personal reasons.
“I think it’s always really important to realize that basketball is second, third, if not around that area on people’s list of importance,” Heat star and Lowry’s close friend Jimmy Butler said following Friday’s win. “You always got to make sure the family is good, yourself is good. It just feels good to know that we got guys that can step in and do what Kyle does for us. But I miss him, we all miss him. We want him and his family to be OK.”
There’s no definitive timetable for Lowry’s return, and the Heat has not issued an update on his status. The Heat posted a 5-1 record in the first six games Lowry missed.
“It definitely makes it easier on Kyle, knowing we’re winning and he has time to focus on his personal problems or personal reasonings,” Adebayo said. “He can take his time.”
Along with missing Lowry, the Heat will also be without Markieff Morris (return to competition reconditioning), KZ Okpala (right wrist sprain), Victor Oladipo (right knee injury recovery) and Chris Silva (ineligible to play as a COVID-19 replacement) on Saturday. Butler, dealing with left big toe irritation, is active.
Raptors star guard Fred VanVleet is questionable for Saturday’s game because of right knee soreness.
This story was originally published January 29, 2022 at 11:07 AM.
