For the Miami Heat, there are many situations that could explain slow starts by their guys.
The Miami Heat are famously the most well-conditioned team in professional basketball. That is something that is known.
Well, with the way that the dates and season scheduled has played out this year, they perhaps haven’t had a chance to abide by the same standards that they normally would. That could help to explain why some players are rusty or out of shape even.
Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things
For a player like Avery Bradley, he didn’t play in the bubble due to opting out for his son’s health. Well, he gets a pass to get back into shape because it’s literally been over a year since he last played.
You also look at guys like Jimmy Butler. With him, he’s played a ton of basketball over the past few seasons and has given a lot in those games.
I know that is the case when it comes to last season, as he was the engine that carried Miami in the Finals. We all remember what will go down as that iconic picture of him crouched over the railing under the rim.
He had given all he had. That’s what you love to see.
Either way though, you give him a pass too. Perhaps he hasn’t fully gotten back into the swing of things, with that ankle tweak, and with the fact that he didn’t play in the short preseason at all, we need to give him time to get right.
When looking at other guys on the team and for many reasons like the long run last year, the differences in the schedule and how that impacts the body, or any number of other reasons, we need to give it just a bit more time before we panic. We have to see them close to what their peak can be this season to make a sensible call.
That will only happen once everyone has shaken off the rust, cobwebs, and gained their second winds from all that’s happened over the last year or so. That’s the second reason why you shouldn’t’ hit the panic button yet.