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.
R.J. Hampton: Perhaps this puts the Heat’s predicament at point guard into perspective, that a player who wasn’t even with the team before Wednesday and largely had been viewed as a combo guard now could set up as second on the depth chart at the point. Even then, the confidence has its limits, with the 22-year-old former first-round pick agreeing to a two-way contract. That, in effect, means, at the least, the Heat view him as an upgrade on Jamaree Bouyea, whose two-way deal Hampton claimed. Still, “raw playmaker” is not exactly the definition of a backup point guard on a team coming off a trip to the NBA Finals.
Dru Smith: Like Hampton, Smith also is working on a two-way contract, a deal that is limited to 50 games on the Heat active roster over the 83-game regular season. Unlike Hampton, Smith, 25, has experience in the Heat system, including two summer leagues, time with the team’s G League affiliate, and even five games with the Heat last season, including one start. With Bouyea gone, it increased the chances of Smith retaining his two-way spot, or at least until Hampton shows an ability to maximize his quickness and athleticism.
What’s changed
For the Heat, the change at the position has been constant since their 2022-23 season ended in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Two weeks later, there was a concerted effort to retain Vincent, offering $34 million over four seasons in free agency. Instead, Vincent took $33 million over three from the Lakers.
Then, in the immediate wake of those negotiations, Lillard made public his desire to be dealt to the Heat and only to the Heat.
Now there not only is no Vincent and no Lillard, but there remains ongoing uncertainty about what Lowry has left, and if he perhaps already has checked out amid trade rumors.
Ultimately, it could mean adding additional ballhandling to the plates of Herro, Butler or Adebayo at a time when the scoring from all three remains essential.
The Lillard impact
There is, of course, no greater positional impact from the decision by Portland to send Lillard to Milwaukee. It was as if an easy button had been snatched from the Heat’s hands.
The fact that the Heat immediately went from Bouyea to Hampton in the backcourt in the wake of the Lillard news also was intriguing, adding a developmental prospect to a win-now roster.
With a Lillard acquisition, the Heat could have been set at the point. Now there yet could be a signal sent out for a veteran at the position.
