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There's no doubt it's been a grueling start to the 2023-24 season for the Miami Heat. They're currently 1-3 through four games, with their only win taking place in the opener as they beat the Detroit Pistons. However, even in that game, the Heat only won by a point after losing a 19-point lead to a starting lineup with no one over the age of 22 years old.
It hasn't helped that after the opener, the next three games were all on the road, with the losses against the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves happening on back-to-back days. Then in the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, they fought hard, but still fell short.
Seeing the shortcomings of the Heat might prompt some reactionary feelings. Understandable, but let's analyze what's happening to Miami and possibly why it's best to not overreact.
The Heat hitting the injury bug again
Heat fans might be suffering from deja vu from last season seeing all the injuries the team is going through at the moment. Before their extraordinary run in the playoffs last go-around, the team had an inconsistent regular season that was filled with injuries to key players that made them miss significant time.
There was a time when former Heat player Udonis Haslem even said he hadn't seen anything like it in his almost 20-year career with the team. Transitioning to this season, the Heat have seen injuries to the likes of Caleb Martin, Josh Richardson, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith, and others.
Even looking at the injury report for tonight's game against the Brooklyn Nets, there are seven players dealing with some form of injury according to The Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman:
Heat injury report for Wednesday vs. Nets:
Bam Adebayo (hip) probable
Jimmy Butler (knee) questionable
Haywood Highsmith (knee) questionable
Caleb Martin (knee) out
Josh Richardson (foot) available
Duncan Robinson (foot) available
Kevin Love (shoulder) available— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) October 31, 2023
While a team always goes through injuries during the regular season, it's unusual when it happens during the first four games. It might help in the long-run as head coach Erik Spoelstra continues to experiment on which lineups work best and who to put in the rotation, but the growing pains have been more than noticeable. But maybe there should be trust in the successful head coach to unlock the abilities of other players.
Jimmy Butler coasting, other star players living up to hype
It seems to be a running joke about Heat star Jimmy Butler that he doesn't try in the regular season, but once the postseason rolls around, he becomes the second coming of Michael Jordan. While it's a funny joke, there is some truth to that certain observation. Taking these last four games for example, despite the statistics not jumping off the page, he's not playing as aggressively like he is in the playoffs.
It could be because he doesn't want to strain his energy early so he's gassed when games matter the most, but fans could be tired of that approach. It was more evident in the Bucks game Monday night when the Heat slipped away in the second half, but got their deficit down within nine points with around four minutes left in the game. However, there was no sign of Butler.
Could it be because of his “right knee tendinitis”? Possibly, but on the bench, Butler looked suited up and ready to go. Spoelstra has talked about plans for Butler dealing with his health and playing time, but anybody can tell you that the Heat needs Butler at a high-level. For the game tonight, Butler is questionable to play.
Other players such as Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have been living up to expectations and then some. Bam has played well in the three games he's been in, and Herro was one of the few bright spots against the Bucks as he scored 35 points and recorded eight rebounds. While they're crucial pieces to the puzzle, an even bigger one is Butler as he's led the team to two NBA Finals.
Overreaction after four games?
There's also another significant aspect to remember. It's only been four games into the regular season consisting of 82 contests. It's a long season and for the most part, the team's performance in the beginning is usually different than how it is at the end. Even though it's a cliche saying, “It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish.” An overdone quote for sure, but one that rings true in every sport played dealing with every team.
The Miami Heat are especially no different. It seems to be a cycle of fans and others that doubt the team, but usually get burned at the end when expectations are shattered. If there's one thing that's to be learned, it's to never doubt an Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley led team. However, it's also valid to be concerned about the team not making a huge splash and acquiring a big star.
If the Heat want any shot at winning the championship, they'll have to go through the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and others. They've done it before, but those teams have upgraded. The Heat? Not so much.
Again, it's a long season. The sloppy play so far has resulted in the Heat having an offensive and defensive rating ranked 20th or lower in the NBA according to The Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang. Only three other teams have done that in the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers.
They have a ton of time to turn it around and it starts tonight against the Nets as they start a three-game home-stand. After tonight, they face the Washington Wizards Friday in the start of the In-season tournament and then face the Los Angeles Lakers the next Monday.
