Miami

Is it Kyle Lowry or bust for Miami Heat at point guard?


The fourth in a series of positional breakdowns ahead of the Heat’s Tuesday start of training camp at Florida Atlantic University.

MIAMI – The incumbent starter is gone, Gabe Vincent off to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.

The would-be savior is not coming to the rescue, Damiam Lillard’s desire to be a member of the Miami Heat trumped by the Portland Trail Blazers’ decision to deal him to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Hope of something big, however, remains, as it remains to be seen where the Blazers reroute Jrue Holiday amid Portland’s commitment to its backcourt youth.

For now, there is 37-year-old Kyle Lowry, the veteran who successfully carried a heavy load as starter at the start of last season but then turned weak kneed and ultimately into a playoff reserve.

And for now, when it comes to point guard, as the Heat prepare for Tuesday’s start of training camp in Boca Raton and Florida Atlantic University, there isn’t much else in reserve at the position beyond untested youth.

To coach Erik Spoelstra, it well could be another case of removing the positional delineation, perhaps putting the ball in the hands of Tyler Herro as de facto point guard at the start of games, perhaps casting Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo as primary facilitators.

Or perhaps, even beyond Wednesday’s signing of the intriguing-but-untested youth of R.J. Hampton, there will be others added to the mix at the point. Among those available are former Heat guards Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn.

No, nothing close to Lillard will be in Spoelstra’s lineup. So instead of the ultimate answers at point guard, just more questions.

Depth chart

Kyle Lowry: Somewhat overlooked in retrospect is how Lowry helped carry the Heat over the first half of last season as one of the NBA leaders in minutes per game, but how that wear took a decided toll that had him sidelined at midseason and then as a reserve in the playoffs. There still were dagger 3-pointers at times, including during the playoffs, but the speed and quickness have waned, which was among the reasons for the turn to the youth of Vincent. The reality is that from the moment Lowry signed his three-year, $85 million contract in the 2021 offseason that the third season, at $29.7 million this season, was as likely to be used as a trade chip as contributing salary. For all the talk of needing to win back Herro in the wake of trade rumors, it’s not as if Lowry doesn’t appreciate his own, somewhat tenuous status.



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