Miami Heat: Bench Unit Trending Upwards When Many Doubted Them

In his fourteenth career game, Yurtseven answered the call as the Heat’s reserve size with Dewayne Dedmon starting for his fifth game of the year.

Despite mishandling a few passes and not being able to fully impose his will on the defensive glass, Yurtseven was able to display (in short flashes) his offensive capability by establishing a screen and roll chemistry with Kyle Lowry. 

It’s a chemistry that resulted in a few good sequences and especially this one,  a two-handed power-slam in the second quarter, as he finished with career-highs in points and minutes played.

Yurtseven would play all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, which could serve as relief for Dedmon (32 years old) as the season progresses, and especially without Adebayo in the coming weeks.

MIAMI HEAT BENCH PERFORMANCES (LAST FIVE GAMES)

• 32-28 advantage in Friday’s win over Indiana
• 43-40 advantage in Wednesday’s loss against Cleveland
• 39-41 disadvantage in November 30 loss against Denver
• 40-35 advantage in November 27 win over Chicago
• 40-41 disadvantage in November 24 loss against Minnesota

Sustainability will continue to be a question going forward for the Heat and their depth, but recently, they’ve lived up to those standards. That being said, until Miami can find themselves close to or at full strength, they’ll need exponential growth from their reserve unit.

Over the years, the Heat have truly embraced the Next Man Up mentality, which has become a trademark of the organization. Altogether, if Miami can continue to play unselfishly and not stagnate in half-court settings, they’ll persevere through this potentially challenging stretch.

The foundation of that success will be dependent on their reserve depth, which is slowly becoming one of the more resilient in the league.