When we look at the Heat play since the start of the season, it’s hard to believe that this team was one outside shot away from Jimmy Butler to join the Warriors in the Finals last spring.
Because after the first quarter of this 2022/23 fiscal year, this current version of the Heat, which points to 12 wins for 15 defeats and a small 10th place in the Eastern Conference, is indeed far from reaching the level of the version of last season. However, the group has been largely renewed, with no less than 13 days already present last year.
And if the first few games were not bearers of great lessons, a sample of 27 games, after almost two months elapsed in the season, is. And the observation is rather clear: the Heat have been rowing since the start of the season. Like his two recent defeats of the past week, against the Pistons and the Spurs, respectively 30th and 27th in the league in the balance sheet…
” Turbulence is part of everyday life in this league » nevertheless relativizes Erik Spoelstra, without obscuring the reality of the current situation of his group. ” I hope this frustration will guide us to a better level. Because we must certainly reach a better level, collectively. Anyway, that’s what I hope. Frustration, pain, anger, whatever word you prefer to use, I hope this feeling will motivate us to reach a higher level. »
A team that sails on sight
This feeling that the Heat coach is trying to qualify can in any case be summarized as follows: +20. Or the gap that separated the Heat from the Pistons last Tuesday, at the final buzzer: 116-96 in favor of the Michigan squad!
Undoubtedly the lowest point of the season for Miami players, pierced in defense by a team which is, at the time of writing, among the six worst in the league in offensive evaluation, and they -even terribly ineffective in attack, while the Pistons point to 29th place in the defensive evaluation. And if a great victory against the Clippers then made the pill go away, the same evils immediately reappeared in the next game, against San Antonio. Spurs who planted 115 points on the Miami defense, while their offense is the second least effective in the league on the whole of the season (108.4 points scored on 100 possessions)…
In short, the Heat are in the midst of an identity crisis, and have lost their bearings on both sides of the field, compared to last season when the club was in 10th place in the league in offensive evaluation, and at the 5th place for defensive rating.
“As soon as we move away from our identity, it’s ugly”
” We have to stick together. “explained then this weekend Tyler Herro, whose entry into the five majors has logically weakened the production of the bench, which went from first place in the league in points scored last season (40.5 per game), to 29th place this season (26.1). ” At this time of the season, given our situation, it would be easy to fall into criticism between us. But if we get through these times together, we’ll be headed in the right direction. »
For Jimmy Butlerno question of panicking, even if the winger also refuses to hide his face.
” I shouldn’t say I’m not worried. It’s the wrong terminology, I think, that defines our situation. I mean, we showed, at times, what our identity was. But as soon as you get away from it, it’s ugly. » he concludes thus. ” In the end, we just have to look in the mirror, and recognize that each of us has to play better. »
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Jimmy Butler | 17 | 35.3 | 52.5 | 37.8 | 85.8 | 2.1 | 4.6 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 21.8 |
| Bam Adebayo | 25 | 35.0 | 53.3 | 10.0 | 84.1 | 2.3 | 6.9 | 9.2 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 20.8 |
| Tyler Herro | 19 | 34.2 | 45.1 | 38.1 | 88.3 | 0.6 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 20.1 |
| Kyle Lowry | 26 | 36.4 | 40.1 | 35.3 | 85.4 | 0.8 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 6.1 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 14.3 |
| Max Strus | 25 | 32.1 | 41.7 | 35.0 | 85.7 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 13.8 |
| Caleb Martin | 26 | 32.7 | 47.5 | 42.0 | 77.1 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 11.4 |
| Gabe Vincent | 19 | 24.8 | 39.0 | 29.7 | 84.0 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 8.8 |
| Victor Oladipo | 3 | 21.0 | 41.7 | 25.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 8.7 |
| Orlando Robinson | 2 | 20.0 | 46.2 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 7.0 |
| Dewayne Dedmon | 22 | 12.3 | 51.4 | 30.0 | 73.5 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 6.6 |
| Nikola Jovic | 11 | 15.4 | 40.4 | 21.4 | 94.7 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 6.4 |
| Duncan Robinson | 19 | 16.7 | 34.9 | 30.8 | 93.3 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 5.9 |
| Jamal Cain | 8 | 11.6 | 53.6 | 16.7 | 66.7 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 4.4 |
| Haywood Highsmith | 17 | 18.4 | 32.4 | 29.7 | 40.0 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 3.6 |
| Dru Smith | 5 | 13.4 | 35.7 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 2.2 |
| Udonis Haslem | 4 | 6.0 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
