The Miami Heat’s first eight games of the season have yet to go according to plan. They’re 3-5 following Saturday night’s loss in Denver. The 135-122 defeat to the Nuggets marked Miami’s third loss in a row, with a quick turnaround Sunday in Minnesota. With Jimmy Butler to be absent from the game against the Timberwolves, another leader in the Heat locker room issued some words of encouragement.
Miami Heat Center Challenges Locker Room to ‘Stay Together’
Words of Wisdom from Heat Center Bam Adebayo
After turning his right ankle when he tried to plant his right foot to change directions while being guarded by Jamal Murray, Butler left the game in Denver and did not return. Subsequently, he will miss Miami’s second half of their back-to-back in Minnesota on Sunday. This will mark Butler’s first game missed this season due to injury. From a short-term perspective, Butler will likely not be out long as the extent of his injury is minor. From a long-term perspective, Butler is playing in the final year of his current contract. Nagging injuries such as a turned ankle, if there are more of them, will not help his season as he heads into free agency next summer.
Following the disappointing loss amid a disappointing start to the season, Bam Adebayo, Heat center and 5x All-Defensive Team member challenged his squad as they move forward sans Butler.
“Stay together, When people go through stretches like this, everybody starts falling apart. Everybody wants to do their own thing because they think that’s going to be the recipe for success. For us, we got to stay together through the good and the bad.”
Bam’s challenge followed that of his head coach, Erik Spoelstra, who issued his own challenge of ‘rallying around the challenge and each other’ amid his team’s rough patch.
Is 3-5 A Foreshadow of Miami’s Season?
Uncertainty over this season crept alongside the Heat even before it began. Miami did virtually nothing to enhance or upgrade their roster over the offseason, even amid speculation they were big-trade hunting or looking to sign a significant free agent. On top of that, Butler and the organization did not come to terms on an extension. So his future with the team will be in flux as the season progresses.
In keeping with the theme of team-wide challenges, Pat Riley handed down his own over the summer. He wanted his core players to be better this season. He also wanted to see Adebayo take another step in his game. And to top it off, he wanted to see Butler be healthy and available. For the last 5 years, the Heat have remained one of the league’s most interestingteams in that they have put together some very inconsistent regular seasons but then find themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals or further. They have been a play-in team for the last two seasons, and one of those years ended in the NBA Finals, and the other, last season, out in the first round.
At 3-5, it’s hard to get a read on the Miami Heat right now. It could be worse, but it most certainly could be better. Nevertheless, without Butler, the Heat have to find a different way to win. Scoring also has to come from someone else. Spoelstra is no amateur, but the players have to translate his genius onto the court. A good starting place is heeding Adebayo’s advice—staying together.
