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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