The Heat had a rough West coast trip. The Heaters went 1-3 and scored 113 points per game over the four games. The Heat’s power rotation players didn’t play well. The team has also had to put up with a lot of “external noise.” The resilience of the team is being tested.
Jovic and Ware played poorly
The Heat’s power rotation players carry a heavy responsibility this season. Nikola Jovic is 6’11” and Kel’el Ware is 7’1″, so they have to rebound according to their height. So far, that hasn’t happened. Ware and Jovic both had zero points against the Spurs. Ware was the only one of the two to get double digit rebounds during the four games (13 against the Nuggets.)
Jovic got a $60 million extension this season, but he is in a “prove it” year because he has to show a return on the Heat’s investment. To do that, he needs to increase his career rebounding average of 3.3 to a “Vlade Divac-like level” of 8.2. Ware is trying to live up to being a first round pick and a productive rotation player.
Noise around the team
For the Heat to be 4-4 after the first eight games is a good thing since there is so much “noise” surrounding the team. Terry Rozier cannot play with the team as he is on unpaid leave. He is implicated in a Federal gambling investigation where he apparently faked an injury to help bettors betting on a proposition bet involving him.
This morning, the home of Coach Eric Spoelstra was burning and his house is a total loss. As per the Heat’s twitter account, Spoelstra will coach the team against the Charlotte Hornets tomorrow night. Bam Adebayo suffered a left big toe sprain and won’t play vs. Charlotte. He checked out of the Nuggets game early and the fans were stressed.
Tyler Herro is supposedly slated to return vs. the Knicks on November 17 extrapolated by Hot Hot Hoops analysis of the Heat’s press release after his operation. The Heat will incorporate Herro into its new offensive attack and should thrive, but Herro may not play well (if the ball isn’t in his hands mostly.) The offense’s production is the brightest spot of the young season.
