In 18 months, Kyle Lowry has played in 103 games, regular season + Playoffs, for the Miami Heat. He’s helped them get to Game 7 of the eastern conference finals and is currently assisting the group in regaining ground in the standings (eighth, 17-17).

Since he got to Miami, Lowry has dealt with fair and unjust criticism. It’s written enough online that he hasn’t scored enough or got inside the paint with two feet as easily as in previous stops. One of the most common verbal jabs was that he looked too heavy.

Miami started well in 2021/2022. It masked the eye test of the unit’s lead guard performing below expectations. He played too much from the outside, and his numbers were down significantly. This season, he’s operating the same way, but the Miami Heat hasn’t achieved nearly the same level of success because of too many issues plaguing the team.

Likely the Heat’s no.1 problem is that Jimmy Butler has missed 38.2% of the season. Through Miami’s first 34 games in 2021/2022, JB appeared in 19 matches, and the Heat held a 21-13 record, per Basketball Reference. That type of achievement is unsustainable in back-to-back years in the NBA without a team’s best player.

This season has been filled with crushing disappointments at home. Did Lowry ominously drop off when he got to Miami, or is this the player he was for a while before wearing white hot?

Lowry will be 37 on March 25. He hasn’t taken more than half of his shots from inside the arc since 2015/2016. In those seven seasons after, #7 has only had three years where over 40% of his attempts were 2-pointers.

The Heatles aren’t as lethal from 3-point range through 34 games as they were when they got to the ECF. Then, Miami was second in the NBA in efficiency from the corners and second in percentage on above the break triples. This season, the Heat are 29th and 17th in those categories.

With the Heat not converting at the same rate as it previously did, opponents can now liberally send more help on drives or cuts to the basket, daring Miami into a drive-and-kick. That’s not a favorable coverage for someone who has lost a step or two.

Most times Lowry gets by a defender in the half court, he has the help of a screen. In the open court, he is dangerous because of his high IQ and on-target hit-ahead passes. The issue is that Miami is not a group that plays fast. They are 26th in transition frequency and 28th in pace.

Even if the Heat were to play quicker, I’m not sure how much Lowry’s body could sustain competing for the 35.9 minutes he is now before bumps and bruises emerge. He’s currently averaging two more minutes a night than last season and is on pace to play nine more games.

It’s an unrealistic expectation to hold someone in their mid-30s to the standard they set while in their prime. Some fools might continue to place too much responsibility on Lowry because of the dimensions of his contract ending in 2024. Whatever he earns is the fault of the front office, not his.

The front office’s gamble paid off splendidly last year. The Heat was probably a shot away from a second trip in three seasons to the NBA Finals. It was also one of the most exciting years for supporters in the franchise’s history. I won’t take that for granted.

The Heat are stuck in purgatory, but this season is only 41% over. I’ve seen stranger and more fortunate things happen to those less deserving, like the 2018/2019 Houston Rockets. On Dec. 12, 2018, the James Harden-led squad had won 12 games, and the outfit was 14th in the western conference. That team, inspired by a historic run from the Beard, finished as the fourth seed with 53 wins.

For the Heat to get the most out of Lowry, it will need its best players around consistently. Key guys in-and-out of the lineup hurts the team’s continuity.

When it looked like the Heat were starting to turn things around, they blew a golden opportunity to get back to .500.  Visiting the Grizzlies at the birthplace of rock and roll (Memphis), Miami continued to get outplayed in the second half by a team down three starters.

Heading into halftime for Miami, there were already bad omens.  They’d only scored eight points in the paint to the Grizzlies’ 36.  Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler combined for 3/11 made shots.  And the Heat’s zone was dull.  

Yet, the score read 58-51 in favor of Memphis at the intermission.  

In the last 24 minutes, Butler showed up, scoring 14 points on 71% efficiency from the floor.  Yet the rest of the outfit struggled to finish.  Memphis’ 2-3 zone neutered the Heat’s long-range shooting in the second half after giving up 45.8% in the first.

Tyler Herro went 0/5 from 3-point range in that stretch.  He also missed a wide-open triple at the top of the key as the game was tied at 68 points in the third quarter.  Yet, he was the only Heatle to play all of the final period.

Adebayo was unrecognizable. In his previous nine games before Monday’s loss, he was logging 25.3 points and 9.9 rebounds.  It’s disappointing to watch him revert to the player he was last year.  Unless he wants to get permanently labeled the “Ultimate Tease,” he should never have nights where he only takes 13 shots unless Miami is boat racing a rival.  

Bam’s confidence was likely shaken by his poor shooting (2/7) in the first half. He took one fewer try following the interlude and finished with a laid-back stat line of 15 points on 38% shooting from the field, with five rebounds and four dimes.

Kyle Lowry recorded 3/8 3-point field goals.  The problem is they were the only shots he took.  He may not have the speed he once had, but he can’t be so disinclined to score at the rim.  If he’s not taking shots inside the arc after wrapping around a screen against the drop or scoring at close range, he is doing the other team a favor.

The fourth quarter was a meltdown.  Miami kept giving up the baseline and possession of the ball, putting themselves on their backfoot defensively.  They also bricked six shots at the top of the key.  Haywood Highsmith made the only triple for the Heat in the fourth quarter as he was left open up top because of miscommunication.    

The Heat barely scored 16 points in the last 12 minutes.  

The biggest surprise of the evening was how apathetic Miami looked defensively.  Usually, the three backline players covering the paint and corners seal off the interior at the first sign of a strike.  Memphis’ Brandon Clarke, Dillon Brooks, Santi Aldama, Steven Adams and Tyus Jones feasted in the lane, making 25/32 baskets in the square.  Counting the contributions of the other Grizzlies, they ran up 64 points in the paint.  

Coach Spo gave his thoughts on the inside protection after the game.  He said, “They dominated us in the paint.  We typically do that well.  We were not able to contain dribble penetration, cuts, offensive rebounding, pick and rolls to the paint.  That just looks like a misprint, 64 points in the paint allowed. It felt like they could have had quite a few more…”

Herro spoke to reporters in the locker room.  He said the Grizzlies were too comfortable in their assault of the rim.  

The loss drops the Heat to 11-13 and places them a game behind the Toronto Raptors for eighth place in the east.

Miami’s next game is at home on Dec. 6 against the abysmal Detroit Pistons (6-19), but it’s the second night of a back-to-back.  Miami is known to play up or down, depending on the level of competition.  Which version of them takes the stage Tuesday?

Without a doubt, Jimmy Butler these past three years has been instrumental in success for the Miami Heat, when the Heat are in a position to win, it’s more than likely because the six-time NBA All-Star, Butler has led the charge.

Jimmy Butler has not only exceeded expectations, but he has established himself as a true leader for the Miami Heat and tends to show up when the Heat need him the most, and Miami Heat fans can only hope that when all is said and done for Butler in his career, that number twenty-two will be hanging from the rafters.

With that said, Jimmy Butler was criticized by multiple NBA analysts when he joined the Miami Heat, with the main criticism being a question of why the Marquette alum chose to leave the Philadelphia 76ers, a team in which was believed to be among the favorites in the East to head to the NBA finals, to the Heat who hadn’t seen the playoffs the previous year. 

Not only did Butler lead the Miami Heat to the NBA finals the same year he signed with the team, but along came with it phenomenal performances throughout the next three years that will never be forgotten by Heat fans, as Butler continues to try and lead the Heat to a championship. So now let’s go through Jimmy Butler’s five best performances since signing with Miami.

5. Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 1 Vs. Bucks, August 21st, 2020 

Stats: 40 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Score: MIA 115 MIL 104

Butler dominated in the first game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference Semifinals in 2020, setting a precedent of what was to come for the rest of the series. Shooting 13 for 20 from the field, resulted with Butler having a 40-point game and a 65% field-goal percentage, which was definitely a message well sent to the Bucks from the Big Face Coffee founder. The Heat would end up dominating this series, eliminating the Bucks in just five games.

****

4. Eastern Conference First Round Game 2 Vs. Hawks, April 19th, 2022

Stats: 45 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

Score: MIA 115 ATL 105

Jimmy Butler’s big game against the Hawks, can be seen as an answer back to Trae Young, after Butler and Young got into a face-to-face altercation in the previous game, which was the first game of the Hawks-Heat playoff matchup. Butler responded huge, resulting in his fourth career highest points in a game. This was Butler’s first big game in the 2021-22 playoffs, with more great peformances to follow. Miami would go on to win this series, winning four games to Atlanta’s one. 

________

(For more on the Miami Heat, check out the Five on the Floor podcast)

3. Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 Vs. Celtics, May 27th, 2022 

Stats: 47 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals

Score: MIA 111 BOS 103

This game is Butler’s biggest game of his career in front of live Heat fans, the Miami Heat were facing elimination, and were in a must-win situation. Former Heat power forward P.J. Tucker told Butler before the game that the Heat needed 50-points from him, Butler didn’t respond, only giving Tucker a nod, and proceeded to go deliver. Butler helped the Heat go on to face the Celtics in a game seven. Although Butler credits his teammates for his performance, he also credits a phone-call and text from Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade. Butler at the time was dealing with knee inflammation, and Wade gave him motivation to play through it and continue to build his legacy.

________

2. NBA Finals Game 3 Vs. Lakers, October 4th, 2020 

Stats: 40 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Score: MIA 115 LAL 104

The Miami Heat started off their first finals appearance in six years, losing the first two games of the series to the Lakers. Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragić had both gotten injured in the first game of the series, which had a big affect on the Heat as they were both key starters on this underdog Miami team, so it was now up to Butler to lead the Heat to a win. Butler exceeded as he would go on to drop a 40-point triple-double, and prevented the Lakers from going up three games to nothing. Butler was everywhere on the floor, from facilitating to scoring, to defending Lakers superstar LeBron James.

________

1. NBA Finals Game 5 Vs. Lakers, October 9th, 2020 

Stats: 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, 1 block

Score: MIA 111 LAL 108

In what is arguably one of the greatest finals performances of all time, Jimmy Butler cemented his legacy as an all-time great in this finals game. The Heat down three to one, facing elimination, the perennial all-star stepped up for Miami big-time playing all but 49-seconds in this game five thriller. It was one-possession game for about the final seven minutes, and Butler scored for Miami and put the Heat up four different times in the last two minutes of the game. Butler dropped a triple-double, along with 5 steals and a block, and hit the game-winning free-throws. This game not only helped Butler’s legacy, but it proved he’s one of the greatest ever to play for the Miami Heat.