Q: Do you agree that it’s time to give Kyle Lowry some rest? We’ve seen guys that have missed time come back refreshed and strong. Kyle has been key while the Heat has been shorthanded, but lately the shooting percentage is down. We need Kyle healthily and fresh for the stretch run.
— Mike, Southwest Ranches, Florida
A: I do believe there will be such considerations, and it will be interesting to see if Erik Spoelstra moves to that direction with the roster far closer to whole than it has been for months. But even when the Heat are whole, Gabe Vincent stands as the only other point guard on the roster, and he did not even play Saturday. So it still will require somewhat of an adjustment with the rotation. For that matter, as odd as it sounds, the Heat still need to get Kyle Lowry some significant reps with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, considering the three have not played together since Nov. 27 in Chicago. But, yes, I am sure there is a load-management program for Kyle tucked away by Spoelstra somewhere in one of his drawers, even if that’s not the wording he chooses. But that program sure as heck is not starting Monday, when the Raptors visit.
Q: How high is the upside for Omer Yurtseven? Do you think we have a Nikola Jokic-caliber player?
— Stuart, Miami.
A: Can we please not compare an undrafted rookie center to a generational talent and NBA Most Valuable Player? Omer Yurtseven is an emerging talent with plenty still left to prove. Yes, he is starting to make some nice passes that flow out of Erik Spoelstra’s offense. But Nikola Jokic makes some passes that only his unique basketball mind can conjure. The game is fluid for Jokic. It remains somewhat mechanical for Omer. So let’s put it this way, Omer Yurtseven is the undrafted, G League-tested, summer-league emergent version of Nikola Jokic. How about that, for now? And again Joel Embiid on Saturday night, Omer got a look at what true elite looks like.
Q: Since the Pistons/Nuggets trade fell through, can Miami redo their second-round pick and take back the Bol Bol for KZ Okpala swap? I think Bol is an incredible talent for the Heat to develop. — Ma
rc, Arlington, Texas.
A: First, even though Bol Bol was selected by Denver with the Heat’s 2019 second-round pick, it’s not as if the Heat had targeted him, but rather selected him in a prearranged trade. So it’s not as if it was a Heat either/or between KZ Okpala or Bol. Beyond that, it cost the Heat three second-round picks for KZ, so you can’t even compare that 2019 pick swap on that level. In the end, it worked out for neither the Heat nor Nuggets.
