Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Robinson, Butler, Adebayo, Oladipo

December 31st, 2022 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Duncan Robinson is the Heat‘s new career leader in three-pointers, but it’s not a record he expects to keep very long, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Robinson sank three shots from long distance Friday at Denver to give him 807, one more than Tim Hardaway, and while it’s a function of the way the league has changed, it’s notable that Robinson was able to reach his mark in 265 games, while it took Hardaway 367.

Robinson savored the accomplishment, but he acknowledged that the record will eventually belong to Tyler Herro, who already has 491 career three-pointers in his fourth NBA season.

“Tyler is on my heels,” Robinson said. “I just told him that I got it for now, but you’re going to get it soon. I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.”

The record comes amid a season of adjustments for Robinson, who has returned to a reserve role after being a starter for the past three seasons. Robinson also faces an uncertain future in Miami, as he’s considered to be an important trade chip as the franchise tries to land another star.

“I haven’t really taken too much time in the process of it. But yeah, I’m proud of the journey,” Robinson added. “A lot of people helped me along the way. A lot of people in this organization, a lot of teammates, a lot of people in my corner. It’s not just me, so I celebrate it with them, for sure.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Instead of accompanying his teammates to Utah for Saturday’s game, Jimmy Butler flew to Los Angeles to have a doctor examine his right knee, Chiang adds. Butler hopes to receive medical clearance to begin playing in back-to-back games.
Friday’s loss to the Nuggets left Miami with a .500 record through 36 games, and center Bam Adebayo is among the players frustrated at the regression after having the best record in the East last season, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. “The thing about it, we don’t want to be mediocre,” Adebayo said. “We don’t want to be in the middle of the pack.”
Victor Oladipo is still a valuable defender, but his contributions on offense have been minimal since returning from left knee tendinosis, Winderman states in a separate story. In the 10 games he has played this season, Oladipo is shooting just 36.4% from the field and 24.4% from three-point range. Winderman also observes that Oladipo’s first step seems slower and he’s not as controlled on his drives to the basket.

Dedmon Enters Protocols; Profile On Strus

December 30th, 2022 at 10:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat backup center Dewayne Dedmon is away from the team as he continues to be plagued by plantar fasciitis in his left foot. On top of that, he has now entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The 33-year-old might be a trade chip ahead of the deadline if the Heat look for a roster upgrade — his salary for next season is non-guaranteed, and he’s making $4.7MM this season.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports details how wing Max Strus went from an undrafted free agent to a rotation regular for the Heat, becoming a developmental success story in the process. Strus, an unrestricted free agent in 2023, has been in a prolonged shooting slump this month, posting a miserable .328/.266/.500 slash line leading up to Friday night’s loss in Denver, when he scored 19 points on .539/.500/1.000 shooting. Twenty-year veteran Udonis Haslem, another former undrafted player, says Strus can be hard on himself — a byproduct of having a chip on his shoulder due to his difficult path to the NBA. “My message to Max, a lot of the time, outside of leading and teaching, is don’t be so hard on yourself sometimes. It’s OK to give yourself a break,” Haslem said.

Lowry Out Weds. For Personal Reasons; Backup Center Might Be A Strong Point?

December 28th, 2022 at 7:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat stars Jimmy Butler (right ankle sprain) and Bam Adebayo (illness) were both out for Monday’s victory over the Wolves, but were back in action for Wednesday’s game against the Lakers, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link). However, point guard Kyle Lowry was ruled out for personal reasons, the first time he’s missed a game with that designation in 2022/23 after missing extended time last season due to personal reasons. Gabe Vincent was moved into the starting lineup in Lowry’s place, Winderman adds.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested that backup center Dewayne Dedmon could miss an extended period of time for the Heat as he continues to be hobbled by plantar fasciitis in his left foot, Winderman writes in another subscriber-only story for The Sun Sentinel. “There’s no point in resting him and then if we’re going to be right back to where he is where we’re managing it every single day,” Spoelstra said. “He would like to put it behind you. I don’t know necessarily if he’ll be able to fully put it behind him the way Gabe [Vincent] was with the week or two weeks rest. But our hope is that it will be a lot better than it was.” Still, being down Adebayo and Dedmon on Monday showed the that Heat might have decent depth in the middle, with rookies Nikola Jovic and Orlando Robinson capably filling in, according to Winderman, who notes that Omer Yurtseven shouldn’t be overlooked going forward either, despite being sidelined following ankle surgery.

Orlando Robinson A Candidate For 15th Roster Spot?

December 28th, 2022 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat center Orlando Robinson is making a strong impression on the team with his recent performances, including a 15-point, nine-rebound showing against Minnesota on Monday, but he can only be active for 27 more games due to the limitations of his two-way contract, observes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Robinson’s recent play prompts Chiang to wonder if the big man is emerging as the frontrunner to take Miami’s 15th standard roster spot later in the season once signing a player will no longer put the team’s salary into the tax.

Strus Shows Signs Of Ending Shooting Slump

December 27th, 2022 at 9:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Max Strus made half of his 10 three-point attempts for the Heat on Monday, a sign he may be breaking out of a shooting slump, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. It was the first time Strus made more than three 3-pointers in a game since Nov. 30. Strus, an unrestricted free agent after this season, shot 24.7% from deep in 11 games prior to Monday’s breakout.
Guard Gabe Vincent scored 11 points in 18 minutes on Monday after missing eight consecutive Heat games with tendinosis in his right knee. “It’s hard to not be present,” he told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “But it’s hard to see something that you can help and not being able to help. I think that applies to every aspect of life, when you feel like you can help a situation but you’re not able to. It’s difficult.” Vincent is also headed to unrestricted free agency after the season.

Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo Out Monday For Heat

December 26th, 2022 at 4:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have been ruled out for Monday’s contest against the Timberwolves, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Butler, who recently expressed his frustration with his inability to stay on the court due to a variety of injuries, suffered a right ankle sprain in Friday’s loss to Indiana. The veteran forward was previously listed as questionable, but was ruled out after testing the ankle during Miami’s shootaround on Monday morning, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Adebayo is dealing with a non-COVID illness. Unlike Butler, he has been mostly healthy this season — this will be his fourth missed game, with the Heat going 1-2 in his three absences thus far, per Winderman.

Unfortunately, Adebayo’s primary backup at center, Dewayne Dedmon, was also ruled out Monday due to “ongoing plantar fasciitis in his left foot,” Winderman adds. The team will likely lean on a pair of rookies (first-rounder Nikola Jovic and two-way big man Orlando Robinson) to fill minutes in the middle.

The Heat have been dinged up seemingly all season long, and being without their two best players certainly won’t help matters tonight. They are currently 16-17, the No. 9 seed in the East.

Butler Frustrated By Missed Games

December 25th, 2022 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jimmy Butler has dealt with a variety of injuries this season. The Heat forward is frustrated that he can’t consistently stay on the court, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

“You know what I’m saying, it’s tough whenever I’m in and out of the lineup so much,” Butler said. “I don’t choose to do that, obviously. But at this point, it’s frustrating. I can only imagine how my teammates feel, how my coaches feel, (Heat president) Pat (Riley) and them feel. But I want to be out there, honestly, because I think that I can help.”

The Heat are listing Butler as questionable to play against Minnesota on Monday due to a right ankle sprain, the team tweets. He has missed 12 games so far this season.

Jimmy Butler Exits Friday's Game Due To Sprained Ankle

December 24th, 2022 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

Heat star Jimmy Butler sprained his ankle in the first quarter of Friday’s loss to Indiana and tried to play through it before eventually leaving the game in the fourth quarter, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Butler, who has already missed 12 games this season due to health issues, will be evaluated on Saturday to determine the severity of the sprain, Reynolds adds.

Heat Notes: Highsmith, Injuries, Lowry, Robinson, Offense

December 23rd, 2022 at 6:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Can Haywood Highsmith secure a regular rotation role even when the Heat are fully healthy? Anthony Chiang explores that topic in an article for The Miami Herald.

Highsmith rarely saw the court in his first two seasons, playing just 203 total minutes over 24 games with the Sixers and Heat. He has already more than doubled that total thus far in 2022/23, appearing in 21 contests (20.0 minutes per night) for a total of 420 minutes.

Down three starters in Tuesday’s loss to Chicago, the Heat leaned heavily on Highsmith, and he responded with career highs in points (18), field goals made (seven), threes made (four), and steals (four), Chiang notes. The Heat like Highsmith’s defensive versatility, and he’s limited opponents to just 37.6% shooting from the field, according to Chiang, who cites data from NBA.com.

“He’s been playing well,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said this week of Highsmith. “It has nothing to do with whether he’s making shots. That’s when everybody else will notice. But he’s played really well for the last five or six weeks and he’s been very impactful defensively. He’s playing his role offensively. And he’s pretty good on the baseline. He’s good at getting guys open shots on triggers. And he’s really working diligently on his shooting, so that’s going to improve. But defensively, he’s a presence for sure.”

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets, everyone on the Heat’s roster except for Omer Yurtseven could be available on Friday night against Indiana, with several players warming up with the intention of playing. So we could see tonight whether Highsmith will play with the lineup nearly whole.

The 26-year-old has a non-guaranteed contract, so the Heat will have to decide whether they want to keep him around by January 7, the last day for teams to waive non-guaranteed deals before they become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Based on Spoelstra’s quote, it sounds like Highsmith has a good shot at sticking with Miami and earning his full $1.75MM salary.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Point guard Kyle Lowry missed Miami’s last three games with left knee soreness, but he’ll be available Friday night, per Chiang (Twitter link). A six-time All-Star with the Raptors, Lowry is averaging 14.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.9 APG and 1.1 SPG on .401/.353/.853 shooting through 28 games (36.1 MPG) in his second season with the Heat.
In a subscriber-only article for The Miami Herald, Chiang writes that swingman Duncan Robinson is still adjusting to life off the bench after primarily being a starter from 2019-22. “It’s a challenge,” Robinson said of his new role. “I don’t think it’s like something I can’t overcome. It’s just about continuing to wrap your head around that it’s going to be different things on different days, and I’m starting to get to that point.” Robinson (799) is just eight three-pointers away from breaking the Heat’s franchise record for threes made, which is currently held by Tim Hardaway Sr. (806), Chiang adds.
The 16-16 Heat entered Friday’s game ranked just 26th in the NBA in offense, but Spoelstra is confident that figure will rise with a healthy lineup, Winderman writes for The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “When we start getting guys back together, I think there’s going to be a great balance between our rim pressure, paint pressure and our 3-point shooting,” Spoelstra said. “When we have guys out, it’s just by any means necessary. And if other teams know that we’re just kind of tapping into one specific part of the menu, it becomes a little bit easier to defend.”

Southeast Notes: Young, McMillan, Collins, Wright, Beal, Oladipo

December 21st, 2022 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Hawks guard Trae Young and head coach Nate McMillan both downplayed an alleged confrontation that occurred earlier this month, but there has been chatter that their relationship has gotten worse since then, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, who said one league executive referred to the situation in Atlanta as “toxic.”

“When they win, everybody’s happy for a minute,” one source told Bulpett. “But when they lose, it gets messy. Instead of trying to get it figured out, there’s a lot of blame being thrown around.”

According to Bulpett, one opposing coach said that Young and McMillan don’t like each other, and suggested that “other players have issues with Trae” as well.

“There were teams that questioned whether he’d ever be this good because of his size when he was coming out,” a front office source said of Young. “So it’s good to have that kind of fight in you. But at some point, you’d hope he’d realize the effect he can have on his team, both positive and negative. Sometimes you have to take a step back and maybe take a hit to make the whole thing work.”

Meanwhile, although John Collins‘ name has once again come up in trade rumors, sources who spoke to Bulpett pointed to the big man’s contract as a potential roadblock as the Hawks seek a trade partner. He’s still owed $78.5MM across three seasons after this one.

“He’s not a bad player. He’s actually a good player,” a source told Bulpett. “The problem is he’s not worth 23-and-a-half million. There are places he could go where he’d really be helping a team and really be happy, but right now that contract is in the way. We’ll see if anyone’s going to bite or if Atlanta’s going to make it worth another team’s while.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Asked on Tuesday if there’s a chance Delon Wright will return to action for the Wizards on Thursday, head coach Wes Unseld Jr. responded, “I hope so,” tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Wright has been on the shelf for nearly two months, but finally seems on the verge of being reactivated.
In a story for The Athletic, Robbins and Jovan Buha explore whether it’s realistic to think the Wizards and Lakers could work out a trade that sends Bradley Beal to Los Angeles for Russell Westbrook and draft picks. Robbins is skeptical, but points out that Beal’s no-trade clause will make it challenging for the Wizards to maximize the guard’s value if he ever wants to be dealt, since he could veto deals to unwanted destinations.
With several Heat regulars unavailable, Victor Oladipo made his first start of the year and played a season-high 34 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to Chicago. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel relays, head coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear after the game that he doesn’t intend to lean that heavily on Oladipo often as he continues to work his way back to 100%. “I wouldn’t have done this with Vic if it wasn’t clearly communicated with him and with the training staff and if we didn’t have two days after the last game, two days before the next game,” Spoelstra said.