After a disappointing 0-4 start to the season, the Miami Heat have begun to surge. Winners of five of their last seven games, the Heat now sit at 5-6 after concluding a West Coast road trip Tuesday night in Utah with a 115-109 victory over the Jazz.
Heat skeptics will point out that four of those five wins came against some of the league’s worst teams so far this season. One came against an injury-riddled Indiana Pacers team, while three came against the three worst teams in the Western Conference: the LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings and the aforementioned Jazz. Nonetheless, taking care of business against lesser opponents is a feat in itself.
Spoelstra Inserts Pelle Larsson for Andrew Wiggins
After losing to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, Nov.5, coach Erik Spoelstra made a change to the starting lineup, inserting Pelle Larsson in place of Andrew Wiggins.
Following Tuesday night’s game in Utah, Spoelstra commented on the decision to remove Wiggins from the starting lineup.
“These are tough decisions. I really feel for [Andrew Wiggins] on this. Pelle [Larsson] is giving us that ability to be a connector and also consistent energy and toughness, which we think can complement that group, and [Andrew Wiggins] was good in the second unit. Tonight, we’re at a point right now. It’s all hands on deck, and however we can work this entire rotation to be a positive, keep on stacking up positives on the scoreboard, that’s what I’m looking for right now.”
The original starting five of Davion Mitchell, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson has a minus-9.1 net rating in 109 minutes this season. That same lineup with Larsson in place of Wiggins has a plus-23.3 net rating in 56 minutes, according to statistics from NBA.com.
Spoelstra also emphasized the importance of Wiggins’ contributions off the bench, and his opportunity to be more of a focal point with that group.
“We need [Andrew Wiggins], and we need him to be assertive on both ends. He was good defensively, as well, particularly in that second half when we put him at the top of the zone. By the nature of this, right now, I’m able to actually make some play calls for him. And I’m sure that helps just in terms of his flow and his rhythm. His aggressiveness, regardless, is important to us.”
The Heat Are Getting Younger
Spoelstra noted that he knows the Heat will need Wiggins, along with another veteran, Tim Hardaway Jr., who has seen his minutes steadily decline through the first few weeks of the season.
After averaging more than 18 minutes per game over the first seven games of the season, Hardaway played fewer than eight minutes in each of the next three games before not playing at all on Tuesday. The 14th-year guard averaged 6.6 points per game and shot 28.1% from 3-point range over those first seven games.
Instead, rookie guard Ryan Conwell has seen his minutes steadily increase. After playing sparingly over the first seven games of the season, including two games in which he did not play, Conwell has averaged more than 21.8 minutes per game over Miami’s past four games.
Regarding Hardaway, Spoelstra said:
“I get it for [Tim Hardaway Jr.], and sometimes these things, it’s not an indictment on anything. It’s just sometimes you have to make a change. And the one thing I know about Tim, I’ve known him for a long time. He has fortitude, he has grit. He’s going to find a way to get back in this thing and have a big impact. The kind of impact that we anticipated. It’s just for now, we’ll go with this, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Things in the NBA can change overnight, and with the rash of injuries around the league, it’s imperative teams utilize players throughout the roster. For the Heat, that means continuing to lean on different players and combinations alongside Antetokounmpo and Adebayo as they look to sustain their recent success.
Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra’s Lineup Change Has Sparked the Heat