As the Miami Heat continue to deal with injury problems, fans have grown to be numb with the issue with it being a constant development since last season. However, there could be a positive outlook as the Heat have been battle-tested with different lineups and rotations.
Injuries still plague the team and it is no different in the present time as Miami embarks on a five-game road trip and there are five key players on the injury report including star Jimmy Butler. For Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, he said after practice Wednesday that you can still build “continuity” with players “in and out of the rotation.”
“I think what we understand a little bit more clearly is what our identity is and what we need to do to win basketball games while we’re trying to tighten up our game on both sides of the court,” Spoelstra said. “That’s not where we want it to be, but you still can find ways to win while you’re building continuity, while you’re dealing with lineup changes, guys in and out of the rotation. It’s a talent to be able to learn how to win despite circumstances. We’re getting a little bit better with that.”
Speaking of players in and out of the lineup, Butler has not played in the last three games because of a left calf strain. He is questionable for Miami's Thursday game against the Golden State Warriors, but if he can't go, it will likely be rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. who will be the main benefactor. He's been exceptional with the starting opportunity as in the Heat's win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day, Jaquez scored a career-high 31 points and collected 10 rebounds.
Caleb Martin opens up about his injury
Caleb Martin is another significant Heat player in Spoelstra's rotation, but there is a very good chance he won't play Thursday as he is “doubtful” with an ankle injury. Martin has been dealing with ankle injuries since the pre-season, but was injured again in the same area in the win against the Sixers. Spoelstra knew it was an ankle sprain after the game, but did not know the specifics of the injury.
“Who knows?” Spoelstra said to the media. “You ask him and any player right now would say they’re fine. He sprained his ankle. I didn’t see footage of it. We’ll see how he responds.”
A couple of days later, Martin opened up about how he is felling after practice Wednesday. Fortuantely, he said that he is feeling better and that he did an X-ray and it came back “clean.” While Martin will most likely miss Thursday, it is still a good sign there is not any more signs of concerns on his front.
“I’m feeling a lot better than expected,” Martin said. “… X-ray came back clean. So everything, for the most part, is good. Just being smart and taking it day by day. There’s some swelling and bruising, so just working with that.”
There's no doubt that it has been a frustrating season for Martin after he was a standout last season, especially in the Heat's miraculous run in the playoffs where they went to the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed. Just like the team as a whole, Martin is trying to be consistent in his playing time, but also not trying to rush back as he missed practice Wednesday.
Haywood Highsmith goes through his illness
Another injury for the Heat was Haywood Highsmith who has had a rollercoaster of a season for himself as he dealt with back injuries that made him miss a stretch of games. In good news for him, he practiced fully on Wednesday after he was battling with an illness. Like Martin, he was also a standout from Miami's playoff run last season where he started to see more minutes because of injuries.
“I feel much better now,” Highsmith said to the Miami Herald. “Still trying to catch my wind. Get my breathing down and my chest down. Trying to get up and down, conditioning and stuff, but I feel much better. I think I lost some pounds from not eating and sweating a lot. But I’m good now.”
In terms of other injuries on the report, Josh Richardson is “doubtful” with lower back discomfort, Kyle Lowry is “questionable” with soreness, and dynamic three-point shooter Duncan Robinson is also questionable with a left ankle sprain. The hurdles keep popping up for Miami, but for the most part, they have overcame the impending obstacles as they have won 17 of their last 25 games.
Spoelstra talks about where the team is at record-wise
Now with a brutal road-trip in front of them, they're going to be facing some tough teams despite what their records says it is. After the Warriors, they face the Utah Jazz, but then following that, Miami goes up against the pair of Los Angeles teams in the Clippers and Lakers. While fans might be concerned, Spoelstra said he feels “good about it” heading into the West Coast trip.
“I feel good about it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about the long trip ahead. “We are what our record is right now and we are where we are in the East. That’s where we are. So yes, I do think going on the road is a good thing. It’s a gauntlet. We’re aware of the teams we’re playing. It always is a challenge on the road. And I love the environments and I love the way the road tests your team emotionally and physically.”
Golden State's playstlye is still there per Spoelstra
Before facing the other teams though, they have the Warriors in sight led by shooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Spoelstra compares Golden State to the Heat as they are still figuring out details about their team.
“Their style of play still is there, it's evident. I think the whole league is trying to figure this out right now, and that's why you just can't pay attention to what everybody's saying on the outside. It's not like they're a bunch of teams playing consistent basketball, there are a handful. And then basically everybody else is trying to figure it out,” Spoelstra said. “And Golden State like us has had some really good moments where they've looked like a bit of who they've been, and they've had some moments where they're trying to figure it out. We feel like we're in a similar area. They still play an incredibly unique style. That's just a great environment to play there. I think it's a good way to kick off this road trip because you're going to have to play good consistent basketball.”
The Heat are 18-12 on the regular season which puts them at fifth in the Eastern Conference. For Golden State, they are 15-15 which is good for tenth in the West, but they have seen victory ways as of recent as they had their own five-game winning streak before losing to the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day.
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