{"id":43853,"date":"2025-03-17T07:09:51","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T07:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43853"},"modified":"2025-03-17T07:10:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T07:10:51","slug":"heat-notes-adebayo-herro-wiggins-slump-mitchell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=43853","title":{"rendered":"Heat Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Wiggins, Slump, Mitchell"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tyler<\/p>\n
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Bam Adebayo<\/strong> was drafted by the Heat<\/strong> in 2017, two years before Jimmy Butler<\/strong> joined the team in free agency, but this is the first time since 2019 he hasn\u2019t had the veteran forward as a teammate. Tyler Herro<\/strong>, a 2019 draftee, is experiencing life without Butler for the first time in his NBA career. It has been a challenging transition for both players, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s growing pains for us,\u201d <\/em>Adebayo said. \u201cThis is the first situation that\u2019s it has really been just me and Tyler. I mean, obviously, the addition of (Andrew Wiggins<\/strong>), but we\u2019re still trying to get Wiggs comfortable to where he can be fully himself. Right now, we\u2019re keeping it simple for him and just kind of getting out of his way. But for me and Tyler, it\u2019s more so understanding that we know how hard it is to win in this league. You can never take that for granted.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Even though Butler was in and out of the lineup for weeks leading up to the trade deadline, the Heat have cratered since they officially sent him to Golden State. Miami was 25-24 when the February 6 deadline passed; since then, the club has dropped 14 of 18 contests, falling to nine games below .500 for the first time since the 2016\/17 season.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s hardly an ideal situation for the Heat, head coach Erik Spoelstra<\/strong> points out that it has been a good test for Adebayo and Herro as the team\u2019s new leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith everything that has been going on, that part I\u2019ve enjoyed watching \u2014 to see them grow into these roles,\u201d <\/em>Spoelstra said. \u201cIf you want to lead, these are the times. You have to be able to do it when the seas are a little bit rough, a little bit choppy. Anybody can lead when things are going great. Anybody can be a front-runner in those kinds of situations.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut these guys, they\u2019re about the right things. They want it so bad. They want everybody to play well and get this breakthrough. It starts with that and then everybody else filling in, as well. We say it all the time, it\u2019s leadership at all levels. But those two guys have been around the longest. I think everybody is just kind of turning to them naturally.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s more on the slumping Heat:<\/p>\n