Getty Kyle Lowry #7 of the Miami Heat drives against Coby White #0 of the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter at FTX Arena on October 19, 2022 in Miami, Florida.
One of the most-discussed topics regarding the Miami Heat during the offseason was the prodigal return of Kyle Lowry, the hope and promise that the 36-year-old point guard would kick off the 2022 NBA season with a vengeance after faltering during last season’s playoff run.
However, that’s far from how things went during the Heat’s season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, October 19. While Jimmy Butler continued to be a force, leading the team with 24 points and eight rebounds, his veteran teammate, Lowry, was basically invisible, scoring two points with five rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes of play.
While the blame for the Heat’s 116-108 loss can’t squarely be placed on Lowry’s shoulders, his inability to offer any firepower on offense was difficult to overlook, especially amid the hype for his return to All-Star form.
After the game, Lowry kept a cool demeanor while answering questions, and sent a message regarding his underwhelming contributions against the short-handed Bulls. “It’s one game,” Lowry said. “We’re fine.” But with the Heat having home-court advantage and the Bulls playing without both Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball, Miami should’ve been able to put up more of a fight.
As for his inability to inject himself into the game, “The game was flowing around other players,” Lowry said. “I think those guys had it going early. My job is to get those guys in the right spots and make some open shots when I get them, and you know, tonight was not that night for me. But it’s a long season and I’m sure I’ll get better.”
“It’s a long season, and 𝙄’𝙢 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧”
Kyle Lowry speaks after the Heat’s 116-108 loss in Game 1 of the season
When asked what he did like about Wednesday night’s showing, “Not much. We lost.” As for what needs to be changed moving forward, “Play harder,” Lowry said. “Figure out and just concentrate on what we gotta do.”
Hopefully, the Heat’s $85 million point guard does as he says when the Heat host the Boston Celtics on Friday, October 21.
Fans Strongly Reacted to Lowry’s Effort & Post-Game Interview
Fans expressed their disappointment in Lowry’s performance following the Heat’s loss on Wednesday, and even more so after seeing his post-game comments. One man tweeted, “Nah, ain’t happening.. New NBA season, same washed PG,” while another person wrote, “Dude sounds like he has checked out wtf.”
“Get this bum off the team already,” one fan tweeted, while one person responded, “Didnt we hear this s*** last year?”
Analysts were also underwhelmed by what they saw on the court at the FTX Arena. “Lowry, really struggling,” Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman tweeted, while Hot Hot Hoops’ Matt Hanifan commented, “Lowry is short on everything right now.”
Lowry Brushed Off Pat Riley’s Opinion During the Heat’s Media Day
Kyle Lowry said he didn’t hear Pat Riley’s comment about conditioning but was told about it
During the Heat’s media day last month, Lowry made some comments concerning team president Pat Riley and his conditioning status that didn’t sit well with fans.
The six-time All-Star appeared to get seriously fit over the summer after Riley basically called him out for being fat during his end-of-the-season press conference. “The bottom line with me and for me as far as hoping that you can get the most out of a player — is that you got to be in world-class shape. You just have to be,” Riley said, almost as a warning to Lowry on June 6, while also noting “I do think that he can be in better shape next year.”
However, Lowry claimed that he did’t know if he lost weight over the summer and as for his response to the legendary former coach’s comments, “It’s whatever,” Lowry said. “I didn’t even hear the comments. Someone else told me about ‘em… Honestly, he has his opinion. Everyone has their opinion and it doesn’t do anything for me. All I do is motivate myself, I always motivate myself.”
As for whether he feels like he’s in better shape than last season, “I don’t even know. I’m just working and grinding. We’ll see what happens.”
These responses didn’t do it for Heat Nation. “That’s a terrible attitude,” one person responded on Twitter, while another person surmised, “Sounds like someone who doesn’t care.”