During this five-year Jimmy Butler era, fans have seen a revolving door of different starters to round out Butler and Bam Adebayo-led lineups. Last season alone, the Miami Heat were near the very top of the league in starting lineup changes. A lot of that stems from team-wide health issues.
Along with the lineup switch ups, the Heat were in the top-five of most games missed due to injury. These two notions go hand-in-hand, and ultimately have held the Heat back over the years. It is just so difficult to build any cohesion across certain lineups when guys are continuously in and out of the rotation. Miami landing in the NBA play-in two seasons in a row documents this.
There is a strong argument that the Heat, on paper, has enough talent to be a real contender. But if the team’s most important players are constantly out of the lineup, it makes the team reaching their full potential much less likely. Because of all these injuries, several role players have had to step up and be inserted into the starting group.
Sometimes it works, providing development players a great opportunity to earn minutes and stand out. Other times, it forces a veteran to play a pivotal role he can't handle.
Let’s dive into the rankings for the five worst starters of the Butler era (that shouldn’t have ever received starters minutes).
5. 2023-24 Kyle Lowry
When Kyle Lowry was brought into Miami via free agency in the summer of 2021, there was a lot to be excited about. The Heat were adding a proven All-Star-level floor general with championship experience to a roster that made the 2020 NBA Finals. At first, his starting lineup insertion impacted the team in the best ways possible.
Although his overall stats slightly dipped, his leadership on and off the court, along with the still-elite playmaking, helped lead Miami to the East’s top seed in his first season in South Florida. Unfortunately, age and injuries contributed to a quick decline in Lowry’s game.
He was demoted to a bench role in the 2023 stretch run and played well, but when the Heat lost Gabe Vincent to free agency and failed to land Damian Lillard in a trade, he was inserted back into the starting lineup. Before Lowry was traded in January, he averaged just 8.2 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 37 games -- all marks significantly lower than his first year here.
All of that, plus his nearly 20 consecutive missed 3-pointers during the final week of his Heat tenure, made it clear that it was time to move on.