There’s being invested and then there’s the level of commitment that Udonis Haslem has shown to the Miami Heat. Despite the fact that he’s over 40 and had only appeared in 28 games over his previous four seasons with the team, the baller raised eyebrows over the summer when he decided to come back for a 20th and final season. The partnership could extend beyond his playing career as well.
Haslem — who has won three NBA championships with the Heat and ranks second only to Dwyane Wade in career games played for the franchise — recently told the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson that he has designs on becoming part of the team’s ownership group once his playing career is done.
So, yeah — Haslem is invested in what happens with his team.
Alas, that incredible level of care and commitment, combined with the Heat’s less-than-inspiring results this season (especially in recent weeks), have resulted in some rough nights for the veteran baller.
Udonis Haslem Has Been Losing Sleep Amid Miami Heat’s Season-Long Struggle
For a team that finished a rimmed-out triple shy of advancing to the Finals last season, the Heat’s 33-30 record in 2022-23 is a bit of a shocker. For his part, Haslem has been feeling the jolt throughout the campaign.
“Nobody likes to lose,” Haslem said, via the Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “I’m losing sleep at night, you know what I mean.”
Haslem isn’t close to succumbing to the struggle, however. Rather, he views it as more of the same in a life and a career that have both been defined by his ability to overcome obstacles.
“This is not the way I wanted my last year to go. But I think definitely for me, nothing has been easy in life and I’ve had to work for everything,” he said. “It’s just another situation where you got to work, man. For us to get what we want, we got to push a little harder, give a little more and that’s just how it is in life.”
Haslem has only made six appearances for the Heat this season, but his mentorship — on the bench, in the locker room and behind the scenes — has been a vital component to Miami’s success in recent years.
Said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra earlier this season, via FanNation: “I love having him lead and mentor every single day. I think his genius is the fact that he’s developing mentors around him, the next round of mentors, the guys who will really be caretakers for this culture and really help bring along other guys.”
Heat’s Three-Point Shooting Continues to Lag Behind the Competition
When the Heat made the move to snag multi-time All-Star Kevin Love off of the buyout market, they weren’t simply looking for another name. They wanted someone to space the floor — and Love has flirted with 40% as a three-point shooter throughout his career.
However, four games into the big man’s South Beach run, little has changed for the Heat on the perimeter. During the club’s 119-96 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, Miami made just seven of their 29 attempts from deep and Love was 0-for-2.
Over the aforementioned stretch of games, the Heat connected on just 29.6% of their triples. Love, meanwhile, is just 5-for-21 from deep with his new squad.
Comments
Heat’s Udonis Haslem Makes Startling Admission About His Final Season