Being a pretty good rebounding team for most of the year and definitely taking it to teams on the glass since the All-Star break with the help of their new acquisitions, Kevin Love and Cody Zeller, the Miami Heat have looked a bit pedestrian on the glass as of late.
In the last three contests, a defeat to the Orlando Magic and wins over the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies, the Miami Heat have been outdone on the glass by the opposing teams. And though he isn’t solely responsible for their success there or this disparity on the glass, it certainly hasn’t helped a ton that Zeller has, coincidently, also missed those games for the Miami Heat.
Well, he didn’t miss the game against the Orlando Magic, however, he wouldn’t play the entirety of it due to that being the game where he originally sustained his nose injury.
The Miami Heat added buyout market depth and one of those guys wasn’t even on a team prior to. And that guy, Cody Zeller, has been good for them.
Also missing his sheer size, energy, effort, know-how, and ability to help the Miami Heat get easy baskets with positioning and intelligence, the Miami Heat would surely love to get him back in the lineup more sooner than later.
In his absence though, they’ve gone to Omer Yurtseven. And though The Big Yurt does offer a physical presence in the paint and at the rim against opposing teams and bigs, he still isn’t quite as effective in his role as Cody Zeller has shown to be across his short time with the Miami Heat thus far.
Have no fear though, as it seems that Zeller is on his way back. Wearing a mask at another point early in his career, Zeller will return to the court for the Miami Heat again dawning the facial protection.
Again, hopefully, that’s more in the short term than anything else. Because as they gear up for the stretch run of the late season and hopefully, again, into a deep run of the postseason variety—the Miami Heat could sure use the super solid big man back.