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The Miami Heat knew exactly what they were getting when they signed Kyle Lowry this past offseason, a high I.Q. point guard with a chameleon ability to be the offensive or defensive glue a team needs to get that win.
While Miami currently sits in first place atop the Eastern Conference with a 46-24 record, fans and analysts believe the Heat would be nearly unbeatable if the six-time All-Star would start shooting more.
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Hot Hot Hoops’ Naveen Ganglani tweeted last week, “When is someone going to say it louder? The Heat aren’t going to win a lot of games in the playoffs if Kyle Lowry isn’t confident enough to shoot.”
Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang reported of Lowry’s shooting, “He’s averaging 9.8 shot attempts per game, down from 13 last season and his lowest since averaging 9.2 shots per game in 2012-13.”
After practice on Thursday, March 17, Lowry addressed his decision to be more of a facilitator than a scorer, silencing critics with clear, concise reasoning.
“I pass the ball more because I got great talent around me,” Lowry said. “When you got talent like Jimmy [Butler], Bam [Adebayo], Tyler [Herro], getting Duncan [Robinson] shots. You got to sacrifice something. It is what it is. I can still do it if I want to do it. But at the same time, what’s best for our team is to make sure that everybody else gets shots.”
Lowry Said, ‘I’m Going to Do What I Need to Do to Win the Game’
Thus far this season, Lowry is averaging 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game. Over the past five games, during which the Heat has won three and lost two, Lowry has averaged 5.6 points per game.
Lowry said he can’t go into games thinking he needs to shoot more as he lets the game flow direct what he needs to provide on the court.
“I’m going to do what I need to do to win the game,” said Lowry, whose 7.8 assists is a team-high this season. “Whatever that means. If it’s shoot more, pass more, I’m going to do what it takes. Of course, it’s probably going to involve shooting a lot more and being more assertive and aggressive [in the playoffs]. But me personally, I just let the game dictate what I’m going to do. When it comes down to trying to get to that end goal, you have to have everybody firing on all cylinders and being aggressive.”
Erik Spoelstra Has No Problems With Lowry’s Shooting
While many would expect a player who’s on a three-year, $85 million contract to take more shots, one person who’s not worried at all about Lowry’s fluid offensive decisions is Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra.
“That’s part of his genius,” Spoelstra said. “He can feel the tenor of a team and what’s needed, and he can adjust and adapt game to game. That’s incredible to be able to try to get guys involved, try to get other people comfortable. Wouldn’t we all be better if we just constantly thought like that.
“But he’s also proven over the course of his decorated career that when you really need him to just be more assertive and be more aggressive and shoot more, he will. But it’s not something where he’s predetermining that coming into a game. It’s based on a lot of different factors.”
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