Terry Rozier returned Tuesday after missing two games with discomfort in his right foot, but he wasn’t in his usual spot in the Heat’s starting lineup, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Rozier came off the bench for the first time this season, and just the second time since being acquired in a trade with Charlotte midway through last season. After scoring 17 points in 21 minutes in a loss to Milwaukee, Rozier said he’s willing to accept the new role.
“It’s who finishes the game. It ain’t who starts,” he said. “I think a lot of people want to start in this league. I’ve started for a while, and it’s not final. Like coach said, it’s nothing against me. It’s just trying something new and I’m going to roll with it. It’s a little adjustment that I’m willing to make as long as coach needs me to.”
Miami won both games when Rozier was sidelined while using a new starting lineup with Duncan Robinson joining Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith and Bam Adebayo. Coach Erik Spoelstra has decided to keep that unit intact, even though Chiang points out that it has been outscored by 21.4 points per 100 possessions over the three-game stretch.
“I feel for Terry because, well one, he got hurt. And we’re at the beginning of a season right now where we’re searching,” Spoelstra said. “So the starting lineup is not an indictment at all on him. We had something that worked for two games. So, of course, we’re going to stick with that right now because we’re not where we want to be.”
There’s more from Miami:
- Tuesday’s loss virtually eliminates any chance of the Heat advancing in the NBA Cup, Chiang adds in a separate story. Miami is now 1-2 in the tournament and would need a lot of help to move on, even with a victory Friday against Toronto. “It’s disappointing,” Spoelstra said. “… We wanted to be there in Vegas.”
- Despite the loss, there were some encouraging signs from the team’s 2024 draft selections, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. First-round pick Kel’el Ware and second-rounder Pelle Larsson were both on the court during a fourth quarter rally that nearly erased a 22-point deficit. Larsson played 22 minutes off the bench, the most of any Heat reserve, while scoring eight points, and Ware posted a +11 plus-minus rating in roughly nine minutes of action. “I like both of their processes right now,” Spoelstra said. “They’ve committed to all the player development. They don’t look at us crazy, with what we have on their schedule every single day. Pelle’s been getting the minutes, so he’s been able to show that to everybody else. But Kel’el’s been doing that behind the scenes, so he’s been showing the staff and his teammates.”
- Kevin Love is missing his ninth game of the season tonight after being held out of the second half of Tuesday’s contest with back spasms, Winderman adds in the same piece. Love’s first eight absences were due to a personal matter.
Heat have lost so many games b/c of missed fts already this year, as well as a couple of more b/c they can’t hold on to rebounds at the end of possessions…
Is Spo done with the purposeful clown rotation, yet? This isn’t the season for it. It sounds like now he’s searching, but I suspect he already knows
Herro, Richardson, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy, Bam
Or Herro, Richardson, Jimmy, Highsmith, Bam
Or Herro, Larrson/Dru Smith, Jimmy, Highsmith, Bam
I’d been wanting to start Duncan and Highsmith for multiple years at 1 point, so I’ll accept this lineup for now, even though Herro isn’t the defender Kyle was in that spot. Jimmy shifts over to a guard spot in this Herro. Jimmy, Duncan, Highsmith, Bam lineup…it depends on matchups and who actually plays off the bench though
I said this whole time Rozier and Jovic shouldn’t be starting. Jovic is now more important, with Jaime getting hurt, but he should be used as a 5/4 off the bench, depending on Kevin Love/matchups. Jovic has single handedly cost them a lot on both sides of the floor in several games so far, and should argublably be playing big minutes in the G-league, to hopefully be more ready later this year when the pressure is on him to show he can be a legit rotation player mov9ng forward, without being such a negative in certain situations so often
Dru Smith is also too good to not be on a standard deal, and should be an option as a starter or in the rotation, at least against certain matchups