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Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra signals towards the court during the first half of the NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Kaseya Center in Miami on March 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ<\/p>\n
adiaz@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
CLEVELAND<\/p>\n
The Miami Heat is as healthy as it has been all season. That should be a positive thing with less than three weeks left in the regular season, but the results indicate otherwise.<\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s home loss to the San Antonio Spurs marked only the sixth game season that the Heat has had its full standard roster available, aside from Terry Rozier. But Miami is just 3-3 in those games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure, but we\u2019ve got to figure it out,\u201d Heat guard Tyler Herro said when asked what\u2019s behind the team\u2019s underwhelming play this season when healthy. \u201cI\u2019d rather be fully healthy than not healthy. So we\u2019ve got a good problem, it\u2019s a good problem to have. We\u2019re healthy now, we just got to get back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Heat is also expected to be fully healthy for Wednesday night\u2019s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Miami, which arrived to Cleveland on a season-long five-game skid and still hoping to avoid the NBA\u2019s play-in tournament, will play back-to-back games against the Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on Wednesday and Friday before closing the three-game trip on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.<\/p>\n
The three Heat players who most recently returned from injury are Jaime Jaquez Jr., Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins. Jaquez missed two games because of hip tightness before returning to play in Monday\u2019s loss to the Spurs, Powell was held out of one game because of a calf injury before returning to play Monday, and Wiggins was sidelined for eight games prior to returning to play Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s positive,\u201d Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the challenge of suddenly having a healthy roster late in the season. \u201c… I\u2019m not as concerned about that. I feel and we all feel pretty good about our identity and how we want to play. That\u2019s a harder thing to generate during a season.\u201d<\/p>\n
How have injuries affected the Heat this season?<\/p>\n
\u25aa Miami has used 25 different starting lineups this season, including seven different starting units over the eight games leading into Wednesday\u2019s contest in Cleveland.<\/p>\n
\u25aa The Heat\u2019s two leading scorers this season \u2014 Herro and Powell \u2014 have been limited to just 218 minutes together through the Heat\u2019s first 72 games. Their time together hasn\u2019t been good either, with the Heat outscored by four points per 100 possessions when Herro and Powell share the court. Miami also entered Wednesday with a 5-10 record in the 15 games that both Herro and Powell have been available for this season.<\/p>\n
\u25aa The Heat\u2019s four most accomplished players \u2014 Herro, Powell, Wiggins and center Bam Adebayo \u2014 have played only 136 minutes together through the Heat\u2019s first 72 games. While a small sample size, those minutes have been encouraging. Miami has outscored its opponent by 7.1 points per 100 possessions with Adebayo, Herro, Powell and Wiggins all on the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s got to happen quickly,\u201d Powell said of the adjustment period that comes with having a healthy roster. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take us being locked in, the in-between days, working on our stuff, finding that rhythm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s been the biggest issue with guys in and out of the lineup, myself included. Just trying to find a rhythm, walking through the roles, accepting the roles, and playing a good brand of collective basketball. We don\u2019t have any room for error with these last ten games. I think that\u2019s been the toughest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first six games that the Heat has been fully healthy for this season have resulted in a 106-103 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 26, a 117-108 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Dec. 9, a 123-99 road loss to the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 10, a 127-121 home win over the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 13, a 128-97 road win over the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 20, and Monday\u2019s 136-111 home loss to the Spurs.<\/p>\n
A healthy roster has also created challenging lineup and rotation decisions for Spoelstra, with Dru Smith, Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic and Keshad Johnson left out of the Heat\u2019s rotation in Monday\u2019s loss to the Spurs. Powell, who was the team\u2019s lone All-Star this season, has also played off the bench in three of the last four games<\/a> he has been available for prior to Wednesday\u2019s contest in Cleveland after starting in his first 49 appearances of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re OK with it,\u201d Spoelstra said when asked about the uncertainty that still surrounds the Heat rotation as the start of the postseason nears. \u201cTo be honest, we feel good about where we are as a group with our identity. We know how we want to play. I think that\u2019s the most important thing.<\/p>\n \u201cWho starts? You figure out the rotation from there. Everybody that is in the rotation right now has been consistently in the rotation. How we want to play has been consistent all year. That\u2019s the harder thing to accomplish. … But we like the possibilities with the rotation. It just needs to be more consistent to our identity and how we want to play.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Miami Herald<\/p>\n
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