When it comes to rotations and playoff schemes, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is one of the best in the business. His game-to-game and even in-game adjustments over the past few playoffs have been nothing short of elite. This is a coach who is a former two-time NBA champion and who has reached the NBA Finals six times since taking over as head coach of the Heat in 2008. The season Last year, fans saw Spoelstra opt to go with a tight eight-man rotation in the playoffs. .
This season features one of the deepest teams in recent Heat history, and it will surely be difficult to predict what Spoelstra’s rotation will look like in the postseason. This is largely due to health. Tyler Herro missed all but one game of the last playoffs and has only appeared in 36 games this season, missing his last nine games with knee and foot injuries.
There will also be players who may not be in the regular playoff rotation, but could receive spot minutes. Like Haywood Highsmith for defensive purposes or maybe even Thomas Bryant for size and energy. Against the Nuggets on Wednesday, Bryant added nine points and six rebounds in 14 minutes coming off the bench. It also remains to be seen whether Nikola Jovic will continue to start alongside Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt, or whether Spoelstra decides to turn to more proven options like Caleb Martin or Kevin Love.
It’s reasonable to assume that a rotation, if all are healthy, includes Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kevin Love.
A lot of factors can influence how this rotation looks and a lot can change between now and the start of the playoffs, but let’s take a look at the three guys who seem certain to not get any playing time come mid-April.
