Meyers Leoard has gone from starter to absentee in these playoffs.
It’s possible no player on the Miami Heat has seen as dramatic a change in the rotation than Meyers Leonard. He came to South Beach as a replacement for Hassan Whiteside and served as starting center in 49 games before suffering an ankle sprain back in February.
Leonard went on to miss 16 games ahead of the league’s suspension due to COVID-19. He ended the 2019-2020 regular season averaging 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
When the season started back up, it was clear that he was going to have to earn his place in the starting lineup all over again, except, the opportunity never came. Leonard played just two of the final eight seeding games, and that was only due to rest days for Butler and others.
It’s largely paid off for Miami who, after their Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics, have won ten of twelve games int he playoffs thus far. Of those, Leonard has played just one. But he’s still found a way to make an impact on the floor without ever suiting up for the Heat.
Leonard has brought a certain energy in every game, serving as an encouraging presence and vocal advocate for the team in the entirety of 48 minutes. That combined with the success of this new starting lineup has made this gamble a worthy one for coach Spoelstra and the Miami Heat.