The Miami Heat came oh-so-close to an NBA Finals berth last season. They pushed the eventual runner-up Boston Celtics to seven games, only coming up short in the winner-take-all game after Jimmy Butler's go-ahead three-point attempt clanked off the front iron.
Still, plenty expected the Heat to remain as one of the league's best teams during the 2022-23 campaign, but they haven't been at their best 18 games in, falling to 7-11 after suffering a 105-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, thanks in large part to their depleted rotation caused by a plethora of injuries to some of their best weapons, including Butler and Tyler Herro.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra knows that while it is still early in the season, the Heat cannot afford to fall even further in the standings, with the East being as stacked as it is. Thus, Spoelstra pleaded for some of his injured players to suit up, even if in a limited capacity, so as to help the Heat snap their four-game losing skid.
“At some point, hopefully we’ll be getting some guys back. Even if they’re not fully 100 percent, even if they’re close enough, maybe they can give us a little bit of reinforcement, even if it’s just short minutes,” Spoelstra said, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Against the Timberwolves, the Heat were without the services of Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson, Victor Oladipo (who hasn't played yet this season), Omer Yurtseven, and Udonis Haslem – six players certain to get minutes were they healthy and available for selection.
This lack of depth has forced 36-year old Kyle Lowry to play big minutes in recent games, his biggest effort being a 51-minute marathon against the Washington Wizards last Friday. In addition, Spoelstra also thrust inexperienced forwards Nikola Jovic, Jamal Cain, and Haywood Highsmith, among others, into more minutes than they might be ready for at the moment as a result.
Therefore, Erik Spoelstra urged some of his injured players to give them at least a few minutes than they normally would play just to help the Heat's cause.
“Just give us whatever you have,” Spoelstra added. “Whatever you have, just give us. If you’re used to playing 30 minutes, just give us 15. If you’re used to playing 20 minutes, give us eight, so we can kind of manage things right now.”
The Heat are scheduled to face the Wizards on Wednesday, and perhaps Erik Spoelstra could welcome back some crucial fixtures of their rotation by then.
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