Photo credit: Sun Sentinel
The Miami Heat finished last season as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. They were one made Jimmy Butler three-pointer away from reaching the NBA Finals. Despite being close to the NBA Finals, Miami brought back much of their roster without acquiring new talent. So far, they have a record of 1-3 through the first four games. All four of these games were a part of the season-opening homestead. Miami is now trying to bounce back after a slow start. Kyle Lowry says part of the problem is the team is figuring each other out.
“We’re just trying to figure it out,” Lowry told the Miami Herald after Monday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors. “I mean, honestly, it’s four games in. I think we’re trying to figure it out. I know we said running it back, and I agree with that, but we still have different guys in different roles in different situations. So, we have to figure it out, how to all be on the same page.”
Adjusting to Lineup changes
The 36-year-old point guard was acquired during the 2021 offseason in a sign-and-trade deal with Toronto. Lowry was brought in to be a playmaker and orchestrate the team’s offense. He played a huge part in Miami grabbing the one seed while dealing with injuries to Bam Adebayo and Butler. This season, he’s one of many Heat players trying to figure things out. After a good season off the bench last season, Tyler Herro has been starting alongside Lowry this season. Lowry is now playing off the ball more this season with his usage rate being lower than last season.
“We got guys who can really play basketball,” Lowry said. “We’ve got guys who can really make plays and we’ve just got to all find ways to mix and match, not take turns, but figure out how to play off each other a little bit better and play with each other a little bit better. Honestly, everybody has a different role this year, things are a little bit different, right? Tyler’s in the starting lineup and Bam’s more aggressive. We’ve got different lineups with this, that and the other and we’re just trying to figure it out right now.”
Lowry’s Solution
So far, Lowry has been inconsistent. There’s been two decent games and two bad ones. On Monday, he scored seven points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 shooting from three-point range, two rebounds, and three assists. Through four games, Lowry is averaging 10.8 points while shooting 28.2 percent from the field, 28 percent from three, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. As the third highest-paid player on the roster, Miami needs more from its point guard. Especially as a threat on the offensive end, where he’s been struggling to hit shots. One solution Lowry proposes is giving him the ball more to run the Heat’s offense.
“I could probably have the ball a little bit longer, keep the ball in my hands a little bit more. That could help,” Lowry said when asked how he can generate more shots for himself. “But I’m an unselfish player. So sometimes it’s called for you to kind of get off the ball and let the game come to you.”
Miami begins its three-game road trip tonight against the Portland Trailblazers. After Wednesday’s game, they’ll face the defending world champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday and finish the road trip on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings. Entering the road trip with a 1-3 record is not ideal, but the Heat have shown in the past they can come together on the road. We’ll see if they can do it again this time.
