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.
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.
It’s been a concern since free agency, but the first player to answer those depth questions was none other than Gabe Vincent.
In his last seven games, Vincent has come across averages of 13.0 points on 45.6 percent field goal shooting and 46.7 percent shooting from three (25.1 minutes). To lead Miami’s second unit against Indiana, he scored five of his twelve points in the fourth quarter, including a one-dribble pull-up three-pointer over Myles Turner.
It was a dagger with less than 30 seconds remaining.
Gabe said it's time to board the plane pic.twitter.com/JJ5XrI5czw
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 4, 2021
Combining a tremendous shooting lift that he’s given Miami offensively, Vincent has created an aggressive defensive tandem with two-way talent, Caleb Martin, anchoring Miami’s 2-3 zone out top by harassing opposing ball handlers before they can cross half-court.
As the Heat were solid with their guard-play on Friday, it was understood that Indiana’s size and length would be a larger concern. This left coach Spoelstra to look towards the end of his bench and at his 23-year-old undrafted rookie center, Omer Yurtseven.
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.
*checks the date* IT'S #YURTSZN pic.twitter.com/eEZUeEPRxp
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 4, 2021
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.