Winderman’s take: It will take more than Victor Oladipo to fix the Heat’s bench



Notes and other notes of interest from Tuesday’s 116-96 loss to the Detroit Pistons:

– It will take longer than Victor Oladipo’s return.

– Because this Miami Heat bench isn’t very good.

“It’s not good enough at all.”

– Yes, the Heat were without Gabe Vincent and Dewayne Dedmon.

– And, yes, that limited the bank.

– But both have struggled this season as well.

– This is the balance imposed by moving Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin into the starting lineup.

– The depth just isn’t there this season for Erik Spoelstra’s team.

– Which was the case again on Tuesday night.

– Maybe Oladipo is coming.

– But this will clearly take time.

– And maybe they miss Omer Yurtse7 more than they thought.

– But now, when it comes to the heat bank, it’s almost not there.

– With luxury fiscal prudence a big part of the equation.

– Support system?

– He doesn’t feel like it.

– Not even close.

– With Jimmy Butler having the night off to rest, Max Strus returned to the starting lineup.

– Expected to play as a sixth man this season, Strus has now started 14 games and played nine off the bench.

– The starting lineup was completed by Bam Adebayo, Martin, Kyle Lowry and Herro.

– The game was the 50th regular season start of Herro’s career.

– Lowry remains the only Heat player to appear in every game this season.

– The Pistons opened with Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III.

– Back from his G League debut, first-round pick Nikola Jovic played as the Heat’s sixth man.

– In short.

– Still not very confident.

– Haywood Highsmith followed.

– And then Oladipo in his season debut.

– Duncan Robinson, who has been held out of the past two games, has gone nine deep.

– Adebayo’s first assist passed Sherman Douglas for seventh on the Heat’s all-time list.

– Adebayo’s first defensive rebound passed Chris Bosh for sixth on the Heat’s all-time list.

– Strus’ second 3-point attempt passed Keith Askins for 17th on the Heat’s all-time list.

– Lowry’s fourth steal moved him past Dominique Wilkins for 64th on the NBA’s all-time list.

– Martin’s first 3-pointer was the 400th of his career.

– Martin’s first 3-pointer was the 150th of his career.

– Spoelstra said the time is right for Oladipo to return.

– “Obviously it’s escalated over the last few weeks,” he said. “I think it was appropriate.”

– But Spoelstra also urged patience.

– “There will be some, I don’t want to say minutes restrictions, but he certainly won’t play full normal game minutes,” Spoelstra said.

– Spoelstra added: “I think this process will continue for the next X amount of whatever.”

– Without Vincent, the only current relief for Lowry is rookie Dru Smith.

– And without Dedmon, the only relief for Adebayo is basically nobody, and Yurtseven is recovering from ankle surgery.

– Such is life when you wear Udonis Haslem and prioritize staying under the luxury tax.

– Pistons coach Dwane Casey was asked before the game about the Heat’s zone.

– “We try to play the zone,” Casey said. “It may not look like an area. But we try to play the zone. So working against it helps.”

— Casey on Lowry, who he coached in Toronto, “He’s stubborn, and if he wasn’t stubborn, he wouldn’t be the great player he is.”

– Floyd Mayweather Jr. was among those in attendance.

– As is Weston McKennie.

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