Miami Heat’s Kevin Love Compares Season To LeBron James Leaving Cleveland Cavaliers

One of the most challenging aspects of running a franchise is moving on after losing a player who’s been the team’s main strength for several years.

The Miami Heat have been trying to overcome this issue since they traded Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. Although they received several key players at the trade deadline, such as Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, and Kyle Anderson, they haven’t adjusted to playing without an actual number one option like Butler.

The Heat are 5-11 since the Butler trade. One of the main contributors to the struggles has been the inability to close out games and play well in second halves. Even without a fully committed Butler, he was still one of their best players in clutch games for the Heat with a positive net rating of 2.2. The Heat’s other top options, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, have negative ratings in these situations. This has led to the Heat leading the league with nine games where they have blown leads of at least 15 points.

Kevin Love shared his thoughts about how the Heat’s struggles to finish games are similar to one of the seasons LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers. Without their best player, the Cavaliers also struggled to close out games.

“I feel like maybe after LeBron James left, not the first year,” Love said. “It was like the second or third year, we had a number of second halves when we just couldn’t get over the hump.”

MIAMI HEAT’S ERIK SPOELSTRA HAVING ONE OF HIS TOUGHEST COACHING SEASONS

Erik Spoelstra has been a significant reason the Miami Heat have displayed some of the same flaws all season without any improvement.

 Spoelstra is a legendary coach and definitely worthy of his Top 15 Coaches of All-Time honor in February 2022. He has led the Heat to two championships and six NBA Finals Appearances. These accomplishments earned him a massive $120 million contract extension in 2024, the largest contract a coach has ever received in NBA history.

However, Spoelstra cannot be denied as a reason the Heat have struggled to close out games. It’s one thing to be a bad team who lacks the talent to win games. Spoelstra was part of those seasons before they acquired Jimmy Butler. Having significant leads and consistently blowing them in the fourth quarter is another. It’s even worse against rebuilding teams like the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets. 

Before this season, the Heat were in many clutch games throughout the Jimmy Butler era. Their net ratings in the clutch have always been toward the bottom of the league, except in 2023, when they had the second-best rating, and in 2022, when they had the fifteenth. They’re the second-worst this season, only ahead of the 15-win Utah Jazz. This has led to the Heat being on a four-game losing streak and leading the league with their ninth loss when leading by at least 15 points. 

Spoelstra spoke on remaining confident the Heat can turn their fourth quarter struggles around.

“Some of these games, you can’t even explain,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll get to work and try to fix the things that are obvious, and there are things that are just happening. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of stress in our lives. We have a lot of good things going for us to be able to be in this profession and be around each other. But there is a beauty in the grind and beauty in the struggle. If we keep on forging ahead, I do believe that there’s something beautiful on the other side.”

MIAMI HEAT’S KEL’EL WARE GETS HIGH PRAISE IN ROOKIE RATINGS

Amid rebuilds in the NBA, consistent winning is always challenging when a team moves on from its best player.

This was the case for the Miami Heat, who traded Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 5. Fans didn’t have much to cheer for beyond Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo until Kel’el Ware finally earned a starting position.

Ware has averaged 8.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks on 54.8 percent shooting and 34.2 percent from three-point range.

He has displayed great chemistry alongside Herro, giving him another lob threat whenever he drives to the basket. Ware’s connection with Adebayo is even better because the Heat have had a defensive rating of 108.3 when they’re both on the court, which ranks second in the league. As the starting center, it has allowed Adebayo to focus on his offense much more as a power forward, which has resulted in one of the best stretches of his career.

Ware ranked high in Grant Hughes from Bleacher Report’s rookie grades.

“An athletic and powerful finisher inside, Ware also showcases just enough stretch potential to kindle excitement about his offensive ceiling,” Hughes said. “A 34.2 percent hit rate on threes may not seem like much, but when paired with Ware’s interior finishing, solid rebound rates (76th percentile on the defensive glass), and shot-blocking, it more than suffices.”

Ware received an A-minus grade.

“If he keeps this up, the 7-footer will likely finish among the top five in Rookie of the Year voting,” Hughes explained. “Not bad for a No. 15 pick.”

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook