Heat still adjusting to new mix despite familiar faces: ‘You have to develop trust’

Following Saturday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made it clear that it’s important for players to be more connected on both ends of the court.

That’s not a surprising comment, considering the Heat is off to a disappointing 2-5 start. But it is somewhat surprising because the Heat returns 13 players from last season’s team that made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals.

“I don’t think the connection is necessarily off,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said following Monday’s practice ahead of Tuesday’s home matchup against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). “I understand what coach is saying. But I think it’s just us and guys are in different positions and different spots and different type of coverages and this and that. I think we’re working to get back to understanding what we can be and who’s doing what in different coverages and different situations.”

One of the biggest changes to the Heat’s mix this season despite so many familiar faces has been the insertion of guard Tyler Herro into the starting lineup. Herro, who is a high-usage player, was the leader of Miami’s bench unit and was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season.

This season, Herro is playing more minutes as part of a group that also includes other high-usage players such as Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Lowry, as the point guard, has also had to adjust to more minutes alongside Herro.

But the results haven’t been negative, as the Heat’s new starting unit of Lowry, Herro, Butler, Caleb Martin and Adebayo has outscored opponents by nine points per 100 possessions in 81 minutes together this season.

“You give him the ball,” Lowry said when asked how Herro has changed the way the starting lineup plays. “Most games, he’s going to shoot the most times. He’s going to be our most field-goal attempts guy and we have no problem with that. That’s what he does. It changes the way I play, the way Jimmy plays, Bam plays. It changes the way we play because he’s such an effective scorer. So let him get going and we’ll figure it out after that.”

Whether Miami returns 13 players or two players, Spoelstra believes there’s always an adjustment period at the start of the season. The Heat just hopes the adjustment period doesn’t last much longer.

“One way or another, whether you’re bringing back a similar crew with different kind of roles and a different starting lineup, a slightly different rotation, it’s going to be different,” Spoelstra said Monday. “You have to develop trust. That’s what the regular season is for. It would be the same if you brought in eight new faces. You got to start over each year and not assume anything, not skip steps. That’s all we’re doing right now. We’ve seen the vision of what it can look like. We just have to get to that more consistently and it takes intentional thought and collective commitment to do that, which we’re fully capable of. At least we know what it can look like.”

THE TUCKER PENALTY

The NBA announced Monday that the Philadelphia 76ers violated league rules governing the timing of this summer’s free agency discussions with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House, Jr. As a penalty, the league rescinded Philadelphia’s second-round pick in each of the 2023 and 2024 drafts.

Tucker spent last season with the Heat, but signed a three-year contract worth $33 million to join the 76ers as a free agent this past offseason.

The Heat was the subject of a similar investigation last year when it was forced to give up its second-round pick in this year’s draft because of early free agent discussions connected to the sign-and-trade acquisition of Lowry from the Toronto Raptors.

UDONIS TIME

With centers Dewayne Dedmon and Omer Yurtseven among those unavailable because of injuries, the Heat opted to use veteran Udonis Haslem as the backup center over rookie Nikola Jovic in Saturday’s loss to the Kings.

Haslem, who is currently the oldest active NBA player at 42 years old, recorded three points, one rebound and one drawn charge in eight minutes off the bench Saturday. Jovic logged just one minute of playing time after playing as Adebayo’s backup in Thursday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors.

“I thought UD’s minutes were good, inspiring,” Spoelstra said of Haslem. “He was throwing his body all over the place. We need a lot more of that.”

Haslem, who is in his 20th NBA season, has made it known he’ll retire at the end of this season. While injuries to two of the Heat’s centers created an opportunity for Haslem to play on Saturday, minutes have been rare for him in recent seasons.

Haslem has appeared in just 30 regular-season games since the start of the 2018-19 season and has not played in a playoff game since 2016.

“You can’t simulate basketball condition,” Haslem said after his stint off the bench in Sacramento. “Obviously, I got a little winded. My baseline jumper was flat, as well. Growing pains of getting back into it. Defensively, going to chase the rebound, small timing things I recognize I need to get better at with time. It’s good to be out there.”

G LEAGUE TALK

With the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, starting the season this upcoming Saturday, two-way contract forward Jamal Cain was sent to Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Saturday at the end of the Heat’s West Coast trip to practice and play games with the Skyforce.

“It’s important,” Spoelstra said Monday. “He had a good practice while we were in Sac. But other than that, now once you’re getting into the season, that’s the plan, to spend time there, at training camp and games. All that will be really important for his development. And then he’ll be spending time here.”

The team’s other two-way contract player, guard Dru Smith, remains with the Heat. But the plan is to eventually send Smith and potentially Jovic to Sioux Falls at some point this season.

“We’ll send Dru. We’ll work out that schedule,” Spoelstra said. “And then if we get fully healthy, there might be some good opportunities for Niko to get there, as well.”

Two-way contracts allow for players to be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games, with other game action having to come in the G League. Cain and Smith are the Heat’s two two-way contract players.

INJURY REPORT

Heat guard Victor Oladipo (left knee tendinosis) and Yurtseven (left ankle impingement) did not practice on Monday and have been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Warriors. Oladipo and Yurtseven have yet to play this regular season.

The only other Heat player listed as out for Tuesday’s contest is Cain, who is on a G League assignment.

Dedmon, who missed the last two games because of left foot plantar fasciitis and a non-COVID illness, returned to practice on Monday and is not on the injury report.

The Warriors will be without Donte DiVincenzo (left hamstring strain) and Andre Iguodala (left hip injury management) for Tuesday’s game in Miami.