Is it Kyle Lowry or bust for Miami Heat in 23-24 NBA season?
Q: Whose minutes was Jamal Cain going to take? Haywood Highsmith? Caleb Martin? Josh Richardson? Jaime Jaquez Jr.? Once guys get healthy, Cain would have never seen the floor. On the two-way, he can fill in if needed when guys are out. – Jon.
A: And, by contrast, there does appear to be a potential need for another point guard, particularly if Kyle Lowry is unavailable to play. So there is some logic with the Dru Smith move. But if point guard is such a concern, it would appear there could be more win-now options. Of course, it also is difficult to tell a veteran that you need him but might not ever play him. Those situations can turn south quickly. Still, it will be interesting to see the approach on nights Kyle isn’t in the mix, due to injury or fatigue.
Q: Erik Spoelstra is a great coach who maximizes the talent Pat Riley gets for him. In your opinion, how does the overall talent of the team (especially outside of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro) stack up against the rest of the teams in the conference? My guess is not great against quite a few of the teams. A lot will depend this season on the health of those three, and if Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic can both develop into contributing parts of the rotation. – Joel.
A: To your first question, I would say the Heat’s quality of depth hardly is overwhelming. Beyond Caleb Martin, you’re looking at a pair of minimum-salary players in Josh Richardson and Thomas Bryant, as well as the hope that Duncan Robinson’s playoff resurrection endures. As for Jaquez and Jovic, I don’t see either swaying the season. They simply are too far down the rotation to become swing players.
Q: Could care less about Jimmy Butler not playing in the preseason. I just hope he doesn’t even get hurt early like he did last year and the 2020-21 season, when he rolled his ankle in the first game of the regular season. – Christian.
A: As with all things Jimmy Butler, it will be interesting to see how he approaches coming out of the gate. We already know that the best of Butler doesn’t come until the playoffs. But with the Heat arguably at a net talent loss based on the offseason, will there be an earlier push than usual? (And, no, not betting on that.)
