Erik Spoelstra’s Lineup Tinkering Fails To Bear Fruit As Miami Heat Woes Continue
The Miami Heat continued a dreadful run over the weekend as their season-long losing streak reached seven consecutive losses, matching their worst stretch of 2023-24.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra is clearly trying to find the right formula to lift his team out of its brutal funk, but he looks like he’s fumbling for answers and pressing the wrong buttons at this point.
Since Jimmy Butler’s last start on Jan. 21, Spoelstra has utilized 10 different starting lineups. He’s altered his starters the last three games.
The most common combination has featured Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell in the backcourt with Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and rookie Kel’el Ware up front, being utilized eight times since the Butler deal was executed. Wiggins and Mitchell stepped in for Haywood Highsmith and Duncan Robinson, which is arguably Miami’s strongest defensive lineup and helps set the tone.
Against the Celtics, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Robinson started in Mitchell and Ware’s place. They were notified of the switch early in the day to get mentally prepared. Jaquez commented that Spoelstra was “trying things,” and it would switch game-to-game. In Memphis, Ware was back in the fold, but Mitchell sat in favor of Robinson.
Robinson played 35 minutes and finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists against Boston, but he never found a flow against the Grizzlies, shooting 0-for-3 from 3-point range and recording a single assist and a turnover in 13:18. Robinson didn’t play the entire second half.
Put his awful night squarely on Spoelstra. Blame the coach’s meddling, because at this point, it’s clear the Heat’s problems have had very little to do with starting games. They can’t close, struggle in second halves and seemingly have little confidence when it matters most, but opening stretches have largely been solid.
Spo’s weekend tweaks put Miami in holes each night. Against Boston, the Heat were down 14-4 inside three minutes. When Mitchell came in at the 5:52 mark, the Celtics led 19-8. Memphis, playing without Ja Morant, scored seven of the game’s first nine points and posted a wire-to-wire win.
The Heat pulled with 42-39 in the second quarter before a Kyle Anderson turnover ended the team’s only possession with a chance to tie the rest of the way. Anderson, after catching DNPs in four straight contests, resurfaced in Memphis and played nearly 30 minutes, third-most behind Adebayo and Ware. “Slo Mo” finished with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists, although he could do nothing to stop the Grizzlies’ onslaught despite filling up the stat sheet.
Spoelstra will undoubtedly have a different rotation in place when Alec Burks returns from his back issues, but at this point, he’s got to strive for consistency to help turn things around. Highsmith has been a non-factor lately. Ware needs to continue his on-the-job training because it’s obvious his development is crucial to the Heat’s future and this 2024-25 team will have its days numbered as soon as the regular season ends. Jaquez has shown flashes of coming out of his season-long sophomore slump over the past few weeks, but shuffling between starting and coming off the bench is unlikely to benefit him finding a rhythm.
Consider Spoelstra’s lineup tweaks a failure in another lost weekend as the season continues to slip away and what we’ve come to know as “Heat Culture” becomes increasingly unrecognizable.
Tony Mejia is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at tnyce1414@gmail.com
