Miami Heat: Bench Unit Trending Upwards When Many Doubted Them
By Isiah Curry
The Miami Heat couldn’t have left Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday with a more fulfilling win, especially after coming up short against the Indiana Pacers on October 23rd. Given the circumstances of their lineup, this was quite arguably the Heat’s most critical win of the season.
From the opening tip, their offensive execution was precise, as they were also as committal on the defensive end as we’ve seen them this year.
In the midst of losing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to injury, Miami had dropped five of their last seven games and have attempted to make up for a combined 42.3 points between the two marquee talents.
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Here’s the moral of the story though. In an encouraging road win over a respectful opponent in Indiana, the Heat received yet another strong performance, and especially from their reserve unit.
Early in the season, it looked to be as if Tyler Herro would be glued into the role of head coach Erik Spoelstra’s sixth man, which is where he has undoubtedly thrived this season.
Often scoring half of Miami’s second unit points, he’s obtained the starting nod with Jimmy down, looking comfortable against defenses that have specifically keyed in on him.
However, the window of opportunity has opened for other Heat reserves, despite the longstanding criticism of Miami’s depth.