Miami Heat in panic mode after back to back tough losses

The Miami Heat have been unable to find any sense of identity or consistency throughout the first 18 games of the season and that has led to the mediocre 7-11 record they find themselves with. Even with the injuries the team has had to deal with they have definitely looked the part of a 7-11 team and these passed two games proved no different.

The Heat faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers and were completely outplayed after the opening 8 minutes of the game. Bam Adebayo had some engaging moments, but the team looked a step behind the whole night and were dominated 113-87. They then followed that up with a 105-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where their inability to hold leads reared it's ugly head again and a 15 point lead turned into a back and forth contest down the stretch.

There aren't many positives to point out aside from the fact that we got to see our front court pairing of the future with Nikola Jovic and Bam. They looked great on the court together and were able to flash moments that can be a recipe to consistent offense for Miami. Getting Jovic in pick and rolls and giving him the ball in the middle of the floor, allowing him to utilize his playmaking abilities and putting Bam on the weak side, so he can get a wide open mid-range. Only problem is Erik Spoelstra was going away from it in every game and it specifically bothered me that Jovic was not used down the stretch in either of these games. He instead decided to go with quicker wings in Haywood Highsmith and Jamal Cain.

Like I said before, I'm fully on the Jovic train for this season and I want him on the floor as much as possible. The experience he gains now will only help Miami in the long run. It says a lot that Jovic was not able to shoot the ball well going 3-of-14 in these last two games, but his impact was still felt with his nine rebounds and eight assists to just two turnovers. His knowledge and understanding of the game at such a young age is extremely rare and they need to lean on that to see if he can develop into something special. I'm getting the same feeling I had when I first saw Bam backing up Hassan Whiteside. Good things are coming.

Kyle Lowry has played the most minutes of anyone in the league at 656 minutes. That's 23 minutes more than the next person on the list, Jayson Tatum. Just goes to show how much Miami is leaning on the veteran point guard at 36 years old. This was not the plan heading into the season as the hope was to be able to preserve Lowry for the playoffs. Injuries and poor roster construction has not made that possible, and despite all the criticism Lowry has been one of the more productive players for the Heat this season and has taken it to another level with the injuries to Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler. In the last six games Lowry is averaging 16.7 PPG on 36.9 FG% and 34.0 3P% to go with 7.2 APG, 5.7 RPG, 1.2 BPG and 1.0 SPG. He's been the only real ball handler for Miami since Gabe Vincent picked up an injury and has had to create most of his offense. His ability to maneuver through pick and rolls isn't where it used to be, but he is still as crafty as they come and is the starting point guard for this team.

I'm convinced that Caleb Martin and Max Strus would be perfect on the bench unit. Even with all the metrics saying the starting lineup is better with Max instead of Tyler, I want the Heat to lean into the offensive style they were talking about all offseason. Give me a starting lineup of Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo. The spacing will be there for Jimmy and Bam to go to work offensively and I'm actually not as scared defensively as many others are. Jovic's feet are much quicker than your typical NBA big because of his experience playing point guard in Europe. I feel like he will surprise us on his perimeter defending skills.

The season seems to be getting in jeopardy and Spoelstra asking for healthy bodies in a recent press conference doesn't bode a whole lot of confidence. Next up for Miami they have two straight home games against the Washington Wizards on November 23rd and 25th. Just like the Charlotte Hornets back to back a few weeks ago, these are must wins.