Heat has one month to ‘experiment’ with rotation before the playoffs: ‘An important time’
The Miami Heat has just 15 games and one month remaining in the regular season. That schedule ends April 10 against the Magic in Orlando.
With the Heat sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference at 44-23 and as one of only five teams with both a top-10 offensive rating and defensive rating this season, it doesn’t seem like there’s much left on Miami’s to-do list before the start of the playoffs other than clinching the top spot in the East.
But with injuries and other issues forcing so many different lineup combinations, the Heat’s hope is the final month of the regular season will be about finding consistency within its rotation as its roster moves closer to full strength.
“It’s going to be an important time and a big time for us to experiment and kind of just get to play with matchups and play with rotations and stuff like that,” wing Caleb Martin said, as the Heat continues its seven-game homestand on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers (8 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). “Really just get acclimated with each other and rebuild that chemistry again. Just add certain guys and get guys up to speed. Right now is the time to make sure we tweak and get ourselves polished up for the next couple weeks.”
That comment came hours before Martin injured his left knee in Wednesday night’s 111-90 loss to the Phoenix Suns at FTX Arena. Martin, an important and consistent part of the Heat’s bench rotation, was fouled by Suns forward Mikal Bridges on a drive to the basket and landed awkwardly with 5:37 left in the first half.
Martin immediately limped to the locker room with a Heat trainer by his side. He did not return the game.
But the Heat received good news on Thursday, as Martin was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee and it was determined he didn’t even need an MRI. He’s listed as questionable for Friday’s game.
The Heat was also without leading scorer Jimmy Butler in Wednesday’s loss because of sinus congestion and he’s questionable to return on Friday. But Miami will remain without forward forward Markieff Morris, who hasn’t played since sustaining a neck injury on Nov. 8 when Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic shoved him to the court.
The Heat’s top four scorers have missed extended stretches this season. Butler has sat out 21 games, Tyler Herro has missed 13 games, Bam Adebayo has not played in 25 games and Kyle Lowry has missed 17 games.
Because of those absences, the Heat’s leading trio of Adebayo, Butler and Lowry have played together in just 24 of the Heat’s 67 games this season. The lineup of Lowry, Herro, Butler, P.J. Tucker and Adebayo have logged just 33 minutes together over 12 games.
“That is super surprising, but not really,” Tucker said when told how little that five-man combination has played together this season. “I’ve missed a bunch, Kyle has been in and out, Jimmy missed a bunch, Tyler has missed some. It has been moving parts all year.”
How important is generating consistency and continuity within the rotation ahead of the playoffs?
“I don’t know. You never those things until it happens, until it’s over,” said Tucker, who won an NBA championship as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks last season. “All I do know is that we’ve been able to figure it out one way or another. Having everybody, not having everybody, some people in, some people out. All year, we’ve figured out a way. So that’s all you can hope for.
“The truth is you never know. Teams win a bunch of games in the regular season all the time and lose in the playoffs. You can come up with all kinds of different reasons why. But at the end of the day, it’s just figuring it out. This team just all year has figured it out.”
Victor Oladipo’s return this week has added a new wrinkle to the Heat’s rotation. In Oladipo’s first two games back after missing the last 11 months because of knee surgery, he has totaled 31 minutes in a bench role.
“Just playing hard and keep getting better. I can’t control none of that,” Oladipo said of ramping up with the playoffs just weeks away. “All I can control is my approach, control my contribution and my mentality. That’s what I’m focusing on is just continuing to get better. I know it’s been a long time since I’ve played and I know it’s not going to come overnight. Just got to keep getting ready and keep getting better.”
The Heat seems to know what its starting lineup will be to open the playoffs, barring an injury. Lowry, Duncan Robinson, Butler, Tucker and Adebayo has been the starting combination when they’ve all been available this season.
The bench rotation is what remains a work in progress, as the Heat used Herro, Dewayne Dedmon, Martin and Oladipo as its reserves to complete its nine-man rotation in Oladipo’s first two games back. Martin’s injury and Morris’ potential return could force a change, and Max Strus and Gabe Vincent are the two regulars who have been left out of that rotation who could play themselves into playoff minutes.
The Heat’s roster is so deep that Martin doesn’t believe the Heat will ever have a consistent rotation.
“I think it will be more about matchups, who’s hot, who’s rolling, what we’re looking for, whether it’s more of a defensive game or offensive game,” Martin said. “We got a lot of guys that can do a lot of things, so you never know what the matchups will look like or what the rotation will look like on any given night. It’s going to definitely fluctuate, for sure.”
Whatever it looks like, finding continuity and clarity with different lineups and pairings over the next month is a goal for the Heat.
“That’s what it’s all about. Finding your rhythm at the right time,” Robinson said. “Playing your best basketball at the right time. So we all get that. It’s just all about figuring out a way to maximize everybody on the roster and get to a point where we’re playing our best basketball come playoff time.”
▪ Along with Morris, the Heat will also be without two-way contract players Javonte Smart and Kyle Guy on Friday. Smart and Guy are in the G League.
The Cavaliers ruled out Jarrett Allen (finger fracture), Caris LeVert (foor sprain), Collin Sexton (meniscal tear) and Dylan Windler (G League) for their game against the Heat.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 12:10 PM.
