The Miami Heat's losing streak has stretched to seven games, and the team is desperately searching for answers. Tyler Herro's candid assessment reveals a stark truth: the Heat are missing Jimmy Butler's clutch playmaking ability.
“I think Jimmy was really good at making the right play at the right time, whether it was for him or a teammate,” Herro told reporters recently. “So I think that’s just part of mine and Bam’s process of continuing to get better.”
Herro and Bam Adebayo are going through growing pains as they try to fill the void left by Butler's departure. But can they realistically replicate his late-game steadiness? Butler's knack for making the right play at the right time - whether scoring or finding an open teammate - was invaluable. He could take over games, get to the free throw line, and make smart decisions under pressure.
The Heat's fourth-quarter woes are glaring. Since Jan. 1, they're shooting an abysmal 29% on threes in the final frame - dead last in the league. Meanwhile, opponents are hitting 36.5% from deep against them. This massive disparity helps explain why Miami keeps coming up short in crunch time.
Coach Erik Spoelstra is experimenting with new starting lineups, but that feels like rearranging furniture. The roster simply lacks a true closer who can consistently create advantages and make plays down the stretch.
So what's the solution?
Here's a radical idea: what if the Heat embraced chaos and completely changed their identity? Play fast, let it fly from three, and try to win with variance.
Have Bam push the pace off rebounds. Let Herro and Duncan Robinson launch with abandon. Encourage everyone to push and pull up.
Is it pretty? No. Is it "Heat Culture"? Definitely not. But desperate times call for desperate measures. This team needs a jolt of energy and joy. Pushing the pace and bombing away could provide that spark while potentially stealing some wins through sheer shot volume.
Will Spoelstra actually implement such a drastic shift? It’s difficult to change an identity this late in the season, and the Heat have loved grind-it-out defensive battles over the last half-decade. But something needs to change, and fast. Otherwise, this season risks spiraling even further out of control for a proud Miami franchise unaccustomed to extended stretches of losing.
The Heat are at a crossroads. They can keep banging their head against the wall with their current approach. Or they can embrace the chaos, let it fly, and see what happens. At this point, what do they have to lose?