Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday night’s 136-100 loss to the Utah Jazz:
– Jimmy Butler’s lack of joy apparently is contagious.
– Even in absentia.
– With Butler away from the Heat for the start of his seven-game team suspension, in the wake of comments and actions he said were tied to his lack of joy, those left behind were the ones left to experience the misery.
– Erik Spoelstra can say all he wants about moving forward.
– At the moment, it doesn’t appear the Heat can engage that gear.
– Just, as it seemed, they couldn’t engage Butler.
– Instead, an absolute lack of anything Saturday night at Kaseya Center.
– In a season stuck in reverse.
– Listless early.
– Sluggish thereafter.
– In some ways, it was as if the Heat were emulating what Butler (hadn’t) offered the grievous two games.
– The difference is the Heat were trying.
– Or at least trying to try.
– Yeesh.
– And did we mention the Jazz entered 7-25.
– Sort of trying to lose.
– With Butler away, Spoelstra opened with a lineup of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Haywood Highsmith and Nikola Jovic.
– So not only Butler out, but Duncan Robinson to the second unit.
– Of moving forward without Butler in the wake of Friday’s seven-game team suspension, Adebayo said earlier in the day, “after what happened yesterday, we’re focused on who’s with us now.”
– What was with the Heat wasn’t nearly enough.
– Adebayo said he attempted to get counsel from predecessor captain Udonis Haslem regarding how in the locker room to handle Butler’s suspension.
– “He just looks at me with a blank face,” Adebayo said. “That’s what I love about UD because he’s going to be real. He’s going to be like, ‘I don’t know, you figure it out.’ So, y’all know how UD is, y’all know his answers and antics. So it’s on me to handle the locker room.”
– Blank faces then followed against the Jazz.
– For his part, Rozier said, “It’s all noise, man. You just try to stay together, stay strong in that locker room no matter what. There’s always going to be something said from this person or that person. So just trying to stay together and control what we can control.”
– With Highsmith called for two early fouls, Jaime Jaquez Jr. was first off the Heat bench.
– Robinson was next off the Heat bench.
– With Kel’el Ware making it eight deep for Spoelstra.
– The youth pipeline then continued, with Keshad Johnson entering next, for a unique nine deep, with Johnson with a transition chasedown block shortly after entering.
– Alec Burks made it 10 deep, in the second period, with the Heat’s offense struggling.
– And then 11 deep early in the third period, with Pelle Larsson inserted amid the search for energy.
– Jazz coach Will Hardy spoke pregame of the common growth curve of Herro and the Jazz’s Collin Sexton.
– “I think we all still have timelines in our head from 10 years ago,” Hardy said. “There’s so many young players in our league, there’s so many young guys that are coming out after one year of college, I’m glad no one stamped me at 19.”
– He added of the leaps by each, “They’re not supposed to be finished products as players, as people. Tyler and Collin are both good examples of that.”
– Hardy also spoke pregame of Adebayo.
– “Bam’s a tough prep because he can hurt you in a lot of different ways,” Hardy said.
– He added, “The thing about Bam that I really appreciate the most offensively is he never seems like he’s in a rush. Their team and he do a good job of making you work.”
– Herro extended his career-best streak of games scoring in double figures to 63. His previous high was 38 in a row.
– Herro extended his career best streak of games with at least one 3-pointer to 67, two games off Robinson’s franchise record.
– Herro also has now converted a 3-pointer in the season’s first 33 games, having previously broken the longest such Heat 3-pointer streak to open a season, of 28 set in 1998-99 by Tim Hardaway.
Originally Published: