Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat Notes heading into week 16

Coach Erik Spoelstra should find a way to put Alec Burks into the rotation. He’s a quality veteran and the team needs bodies since it can’t count on Jimmy Butler.

Burks is the guy Spoelstra has forgotten about while Terry Rozier logs a good game as often as Pat Riley makes a public appearance. Perhaps assistant coach Chris Quinn can remind him, “Yo, this dude averaged 14.8 points on 62.8 effective field goal percentage in six playoff games last year, 20.2 minutes per. He’s wasting away on the bench.”

At this point, it might motivate the other players to pick up their game if they see Burks come in. Keep in mind that he averages 42.9% 3-point shooting on  6.9 attempts per 36 minutes. On top of that, the team is 5-1 in the games he breaks double-figure scoring. 

Some of that curling action he showed against the Pacers would help the Heat because he can score from long range and use the floater up close. His jumper would also make him a dangerous screener, especially with Bam Adebayo in inverted sets. He’s also a good option to use because he barely turns the ball over.

Win at Brooklyn:

The Heat held the Brooklyn Nets to 97 points on Saturday in the road win that spoiled Vince Carter’s jersey retirement. The team is now 12-0 in games they hold opponents 100 points or below. Additionally, Nikola Jović had another strong performance, making three corner treys and scoring two layups on the dribble and on a give-and-go.

Rookie Kel’el Ware struggled, misfiring on six shots in the lane and tried to do a bit too much.

Bam Adebayo only made six of 13 shots, but he finished with 17 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, one block and four turnovers. The team is now 15-9 when he records a double-double.

And the team registered its seventh-best defensive rating of the season (99.0) in the win. 

Herro’s season: 

Tyler Herro has tough competition for the last All-Star reserve spots but he has unquestionably played at that level this season. He is a much more lethal scorer than ever and only he and five other players (Nikola Jokić, Karl-Anthony Towns, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Zach LaVine) are averaging at least 24 points per game with at least a 58 EFG percentage. He broke 1,000 points in eight fewer games than his previous best in 2021-22, per Heat Game Notes.  

Furthermore, Herro is second in total made 3-pointers this season (167) only behind Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards (187).

Adebayo’s season:

Adebayo has not been the same threat to score as he has been the last two seasons. He has only reached 20 points or more in 11 games of 42 in 2024-25, which is not nearly enough for a franchise player. Perhaps he’ll finally turn it around when he who was not content is gone. His defense is still elite, and he is the main difference maker on that side. Spoelstra’s new experiment of working him with Ware lets Adebayo roam the perimeter and be a terror on smaller players. Yet, for this pairing to have optimal results, Adebayo needs to improve as a deep shooter.

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The Heat will not practice on Sunday.

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