A number of Miami Heat players have undergone a role change since the start of the season. Has it better or worsened the team and their chances at a title?
Head coach Erik Spoelstra and this Miami Heat team have exceeded all odds this year, now sitting just two wins away from an NBA Finals appearance, after not making the playoffs last season.
Jimmy Butler has been everything some liked to say he wasn’t with Chicago, Minnesota, or most recently Philadelphia. Bam Adebayo has completed his transition from role player to All-Star, and truly found another motor for Miami since they’re entering the playoffs.
Then there’s the three-point shooting, which there has been a surplus of between marksman Duncan Robinson, veteran Jae Croder, and rookie guard Tyler Herro. It’s been a statement year for the Miami Heat on a number of levels, mostly though, in their willingness to change.
It’s exactly what has brought them this far. Coach Spoelstra has taken a number of key contributors and reworked their minutes’ allotment and roles within the team since the start of the regular season, making for a completely different team in comparison to the season opener.
But to have a contending roster, and to be willing to experiment with rotations and starting lineups as late in the season as just before playoffs, well it’s somewhat of a dice roll. A look at the five players who’ve undergone role changes in recent weeks, and how it’s fared for the Heat.