Mailbag: Exploring latest tweak to Heat rotation and answering trade questions ahead of deadline
The Miami Herald’s Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions. If you weren’t able to ask this time, send your questions for future mailbags via X (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email them in to achiang@miamiherald.com.
@jay4774: Why has Spo started benching Tyler and Bam so early at the start of games? Makes it impossible for either to get in rhythm.
Anthony Chiang: You have noticed the tweak that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has made to the rotation in recent games. The Heat’s trio of Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro are spending fewer minutes on the court with each other, averaging about 16 minutes of playing time together per game in the last two games after logging about 21 minutes together per contest during the seven-game skid.
This may seem weird, considering Adebayo, Butler and Herro are the Heat’s best three players and teams often want its best players on the court together for as many minutes as possible. But this trio has not produced positive results recently, as opponents have outscored the Heat by 2.3 points per 100 possessions in the 177 minutes that Adebayo, Butler and Herro have played together over the last 10 games.
So instead, Spoelstra has made a slight change to the rotation to make sure Adebayo and Herro are playing most of their minutes together, while Butler spends extended stretches anchoring bench units that include Kevin Love and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
It has worked so far.
The Heat has outscored its past two opponents by 3.9 points per 100 possessions in the 53 minutes that Adebayo and Herro have played together during this stretch.
And in the 21 minutes that Butler, Jaquez and Love have played together in the last two games, the Heat has outscored opponents by 45.3 points per 100 possessions.
The Heat’s rotation will continue to evolve throughout the season and the last two games are obviously a very small sample size. But this wrinkle in the rotation is one to monitor.
@HEATexpert327: In a possible next trade, what would be more attractive to the Heat? Moving Duncan for a smaller contract with years remaining or bigger money but expiring?
Anthony: I’m going to answer this question this way ... I don’t think the Heat can afford to lose Duncan Robinson (unless it’s for an All-Star caliber player) with the way this roster is built. The Heat is already in the middle of the league in terms of three-point volume. Losing Robinson, who is shooting 40.4 percent on 6.8 three-point attempts per game, would be damaging unless it gets another high-volume three-point shooter. The Heat needs players who are going to put up threes. Robinson does that, makes a high percentage of them and works well around the team’s two best players in Adebayo and Butler.
@Jai_305_: Will the Heat look to round out the edges at the trade deadline or are they completely done making any moves?
Anthony: I don’t think much can be ruled out, at this point. The Heat clearly signaled its in win-now mode when it traded a first-round pick to acquire Terry Rozier. But what’s one thing would surprise me? The Heat dealing away another first-round pick ahead of Thursday’s deadline, unless its for an All-Star talent.
This story was originally published February 4, 2024 at 10:28 AM.
