The Miami Heat are fighting for the top slot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, only trailing the Chicago Bulls who took a half-game lead on Thursday while the Heat were dormant. With that though, there have been many things that have gone into the battle.
For both sides and for many teams throughout the league this season, with regular injury along with Health And Safety Protocols, the war of attrition has taken hold. Well, the Miami Heat’s luck might just be changing on that front.
With Markieff Morris not having played a single minute since late November after the Nikola Jokic dustup, not even being active, and generally, not just in a basketball game sense, the Miami Heat may just be getting him back into the fold soon.
Well, that isn’t all though. A guy that came over last season also finds himself as healthy as he’s been since—well, a long time, according to all that’s been heard.
Here is a piece of the reporting in question.
Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo are in New York with the team, but they will not play tomorrow vs. Knicks.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) February 24, 2022
Yes, this is not a drill! Miami Heat forward, Morris, and wing guy, Victor Oladipo, are traveling with the team.
The Miami Heat might be nearing full health for the first time this season. When and if that happens, it could serve to put them way over the top.
Be cautious though, hold your horses. Further reporting added clarity to the situation.
Spoelstra after today's practice in Brooklyn on Oladipo and Morris: "They were able to do a lot. I'm not going to give you all the details. There's nothing that's imminent right now. This is all just part of the process."
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) February 24, 2022
Well, that seems anticlimactic, however, it’s all great news. In order for them to play, they must be with the team, getting re-acclimated or acclimated to this particular bunch, in Oladipo’s case.
While you don’t know exactly what to expect or what you will get from Oladipo after he has, once again, missed so much time, you don’t need him to be what he has been at his peak. Listen and for clarity, if he is 100 percent and the All-Star caliber player that he has been across his career, all the better for the Miami heat.
However, if he is just 65-70 percent of himself, that should be enough to help put the Miami Heat way over the top. Morris’s reinsertion into the rotation should also mean great things for them.
Mainly, it serves as depth and a way to get P.J. Tucker some well-deserved rest. Tucker has been huge and everything, at times, for Miami this season, so to have another guy you can trust to spell him back in the lineup is a major plus.
There is still the “what to do with Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, and Max Strus” of it all to deal with but hey, what a great problem to have, right? The Miami Heat have been rolling this season and getting these guys back should only add more steam to the engine.