The Miami Heat continue to win this season despite a number of injuries to key players, and Bam Adebayo said this mentality comes directly from head coach Erik Spoelstra.
“Nobody cares if our guys are absent and we don’t look for excuses for that,” Spoelstra said recently. “Our injuries have been minor in my opinion and the guys have not been out for long periods of time.”
The Fever had used 17 different players and 15 different starters in 35 games this season before Monday’s game against the Houston Rockets.
“Spo will never come down and blame the guys being absent for not winning,” Adebayo said. “That’s just not Spo. You have 15 guys on the roster for a reason and it seems to me that Spo is trying to make the most of all 15 guys.”
Despite missing significant time with star players Tyler Herro, Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, and players like Caleb Martin, Miami managed to finish with a 20-15 record, which puts it in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Herro missed 18 games with an ankle injury but returned to action on 18 December. Since his return, the Heat have won four of their first five games, but have since lost three of the last four, with Butler out with a foot injury.
The trio of Herro, Adebayo and Butler have played a total of eight games this season and only six of those as a team. There is reportedly cautious optimism that Butler will be able to return sometime during the upcoming four-match domestic showdown, which runs until 14 January.
The Fever did manage to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday without Butler, but after the game Lakers coach Darvin Ham used his team’s injuries as an excuse for the loss. This response was highlighted as an example of how Spoelstra reacts differently to a similar situation than Ham, who might be on the hot seat with the struggling Lakers.
“Until we’re healthy, we can’t find any consistency,” Ham said. “It’s as simple as that. We have to be healthy. We have to be healthy. Guys have to – and when they’re healthy – they have to get back into rhythm.”
Miami has also managed to survive injuries thanks to the play of rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr, who is the only Heat player to appear in every game this season. The 22-year-old is averaging 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. The 18th overall pick is considered one of the steals of the 2023 NBA Draft.
The New York Knicks have recently improved by trading for O.G. Anunoby, which may have been influenced by the Heat. If Miami fails to complete its deal before next month’s NBA trade deadline, the Heat will continue to rely on its no-excuses mentality and potentially improved health to succeed in the playoff race.