Do Miami Heat need ample Terry Rozier-Tyler Herro time?
Q: Ira, how would you evaluate Terry Rozier’s play so far? His shooting has been horrible (39% from the field and 24% from 3). On the positive side 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds.If the Heat are going to do anything in the playoffs he is going to have to shoot much better. – Joel, Fort Lauderdale.
A: Which is why the Heat made the move well ahead of the Feb. 8 trading deadline, to increase the opportunity to develop chemistry with a group that largely has spent years together. Then came his knee injury and then came Tyler Herro’s injuries. So it hardly has been a smooth acclimation. But what has been tangible has been the pace that Terry Rozier has helped deliver, something needed in an offense that had ground to a slog. Plus, Terry has been in the mix during the Heat’s defensive resurgence, so there’s something to be said about that. Plus, no matter if making or missing, Terry has the respect of the defense, so he still is able to help space the floor.
Q: Ira, I see the Tyler Herro injury debate continues here. But nothing that happens matters until we see Tyler in the playoffs. That’s when we will know what to do next. – Steve.
A: Which is all well and good. But the playoffs are not a time you want to be experimenting. You need, at some point, to know what works and what doesn’t. The sample size with Terry Rozier to this point has been limited to 180 minutes. That’s less than, for example, Duncan Robinson has played alongside Nikola Jovic. The Heat need to see what perimeter groupings work best, and that means they need Tyler to get back and stay on the court. For now, with Tyler again out, we remain in an uncomfortable holding pattern.
Q: Ira, Erik Spoelstra was Coach of the Month for February, but the Heat lost in February to the Clippers, Celtics and Nuggets. Doesn’t a great coach win at least one of those? – Wes.
A: Isn’t this a bit of nitpicking, considering the Heat in February also beat the Bucks, 76ers, Pelicans and Kings? Plus, don’t overstate Coach of the Month or any of the NBA’s weekly or monthly awards. There is not a defined selection process and the league has shown a desire to spread the wealth among different recipients from different teams. For the most part, isn’t Coach of the Month the coach who wins the most games in that month?
