Kyle Lowry missed 27 games during the Miami Heat‘s 2022-23 regular season campaign, due to a nagging knee injury. Over the last month, he’s worked hard to get back up to speed and be able to contribute to a possible playoff run.
Miami will kick off their postseason on Tuesday, when they take on the Atlanta Hawks in the Play-In Tournament.
Ahead of the meeting with Atlanta, the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman caught up with Lowry to discuss his role with the team.
When prompted by Winderman, the veteran guard explained that he feels ready to take on some big minutes if needed.
“Yes,” Lowry replied. “Very. Very, very comfortable.”
The 36-year-old made it clear that he’s ready to do what he can to help the Heat succeed.
“I mean I’m playing the position that I’m trying to help our team,” he said. “So in the sense of I’m doing whatever it helps my team to win, that’s all that really matters in that situation. I mean, I don’t really feel like anything but trying to help the team win. Honestly, at this point of the season, it really doesn’t matter. I am what I am and we are what we are.”
Lowry sat out 15 games from February 4 through March 11 in order to try and rest his ailing knee.
“It took a lot,” he explained, when asked about his decision to rest. “I pushed through it for three months and it was a lot. And I know numbers say this, that and the other. But in our league, you can’t play against the best players in the world not healthy, both offensively and defensively. To me, it’s just like, ‘I got to get right to help this team long term.’ ”
Jimmy Butler Discusses Feelings on Heat’s Playoff Run
Tuesday’s appearance in the Play-In Tournament will be the first ever for the Heat, since it’s inception in 2021. Star forward Jimmy Butler recently discussed what it’s like entering the postseason as an underdog rather than a top seed, saying that it’s all the same to him.
“It’s all the same,” he replied via Locked on Heat host Wes Goldberg. “Nobody picked us to win last year, so who cares. Y’all not gonna pick us to win this year. Don’t give a damn. In 10 years, y’all still not gonna pick us. Still don’t give a damn.”
Jimmy Butler, asked if there’s a diff between being the top seed & an underdog:
“It’s all the same. Nobody picked us to win last year, so who cares. Y’all not gonna pick us to win this year. Don’t give a damn. In 10 years, y’all still not gonna pick us. Still don’t give a damn.”
Caleb Martin Praises Heat’s Jimmy Butler Ahead of Play-In
Butler is notorious for stepping up his game when it matters most. His teammates are well aware of what they should expect from their leader during the playoffs.
Miami wing Caleb Martin recently shared why he feels confident in his squad, when they’ve got leaders like Butler on the roster.
“The guys that we have,” Martin said via the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “You got Spo [Erik Spoelstra], the head of the snake with our staff. And you got Jimmy, the head of the snake on the floor. Those two guys are going to make everything go. At the end of the day by the time our season is over or whatever it is, they’re going to do everything in their power to put us in position to win a championship. We got guys following a guy like Jimmy and we got our staff following a guy like Spo, I always believe we’re going to be in a good spot.”
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Kyle Lowry Sounds Off on Role Ahead of Heat’s Play-In Meeting with Hawks