Erik Spoelstra drops big hint about Heat starting lineup going forward

The Miami Heat are sticking with what works, at least for now.

After a revamped starting lineup of Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith and Bam Adebayo powered the Heat to two straight wins, coach Erik Spoelstra hinted that he will stick with that lineup going forward despite point guard Terry Rozier returning from a foot injury.

“We know what he's capable of,” Spoelstra said of Rozier. “He was playing great before. I fully expect him to be back to being aggressive and giving us that x-factor.”

Terry Rozier will come off the bench as the Heat stick with a successful starting lineup.

Rozier had started Miami’s first 12 games before missing the last two with a foot injury. He had been averaging 12.9 points on 38% shooting (33.3% from 3-point range), 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Those are his lowest marks in six seasons. 

Though the Heat had been hopeful a backcourt of Rozier and Herro could work on both ends, the early returns were not positive. With Rozier in the original starting lineup (with Rozier and Nikola Jovic), the Heat were out-scored by 5.1 points per game. 

Meanwhile, the new starting lineup has out-scored opponents by five points in 25 total minutes. Not exactly a world-beating lineup, but good enough when compared to the original to stick with it.

“Like everybody, you have to do what's best for the team right now,” Spoelstra said of Rozier. “Nothing is in concrete. We're not where we want to be. That's the bottom line.”

Spoelstra has been willing to change his lineup when he thinks the team is in need of a jolt, and often uses injuries as an opportunity to try new things. When Jimmy Butler missed four games with an ankle sprain, Spoelstra moved Kevin Love into Jovic’s spot in the frontcourt next to Adebayo.

If the Heat can make it three wins a row against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, Spoelstra will likely stick with this rotation for the time being.

For Rozier, he could thrive as a sixth man. Miami’s depth has been a strength this season, but the bench lacks a shot-creator. Rozier could act as a pick-and-roll hub to help spark the second-unit offense. Also, it could be easier to work his way out of his shooting slump when going against opposing reserves. 

There’s a chance this change works for everybody but, as Spoelstra said, nothing is concrete.