Miami Heat: Kyle Lowry Doesn’t Have To Score To Be Impactful
By Isiah Curry
Miami Heat: Kyle Lowry Will Find His O, But Until Then, He’ll Help Others Find It
To combine his play-style with Miami’s reconstructed roster, the Heat shouldn’t expect the 35 year-old to have a complete scorer’s mentality going forward, but more of a facilitator’s mindset. So far, Lowry has already deferred to the latter, in which he’s patented since his mid-2010’s run in Toronto.
Vowing to instill confidence into his top options, Lowry’s now in complete control of initiating Miami’s half-court and transition offense, in addition to defending at an extremely high level.
Miami will need Lowry‘s unselfish and uncanny abilities of putting his teammates in better positions to score. As mentioned earlier, Lowry has available options with Herro on the cusp of a third-season breakout, Adebayo finding his confidence, and Jimmy Butler simply being Jimmy Butler.
However, it’s also important for Kyle to be that safety valve during critical moments — that mainly being when the Heat’s other top options are having rough shooting nights. The earlier he can become acclimated to his new system and surroundings as an offensive threat, the greater Miami improves their chances, as they hope to push themselves into title contention.
After signing a three-year deal to join Miami in August, there are adjustments that, both, Lowry and the Heat need to make, such as limiting their turnovers and ultimately adjusting to Kyle’s pace. It’s a long season though and there’s plenty of time to find the right balance.
Through it all, Lowry’s effectiveness begins with putting others before himself and his on-court presence magnifies it. All in all, he hasn’t shot the ball well… yet, but his impact has already been massive and greatly felt.