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Miami Heat: New look starting 5 has been worst lineup in NBA to begin 2024-25

Miami Heat Lineup
The Miami Heat entered 2024-25 with a new starting 5. It hasn’t been productive through the first week of the season. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

We’re still four games into a grueling 82-game season for the Miami Heat, but first impressions matter.

The Miami Heat opened the 2024-25 season with a new starting 5 that didn’t play a single possession last season: Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo. It’s still way-to-early in the NBA season, but through one week, the lineup has not only been one of the worst on the Heat, but in the entire NBA.

According to Cleaning The Glass, whose lineup data filters out any groupings that haven’t played at least 100 possessions, the quintet has posted a league-worst minus-24.6 NET Rating in 117 possessions. That number grades in the 0th percentile. Better yet, it ranks in the 0th percentile in effective field goal percentage (44.5), 6th percentile in offensive rating (96.6) and in the 12th percentile in defensive rating (121.1).

In fairness, there are only 17 lineups that have played at least 100 possessions together, so it’s not a big sample. It’s damning, to say the least.

Adebayo’s gotten off to a slow start on both ends of the floor; Rozier and Herro have been turnstiles at the point-of-attack while Jovic has struggled, at times, on the glass. Butler shouldn’t be exempt from criticism, too, considering he’s laid two eggs in their two losses.

It’s still a very much work in progress with a very small sample. It’s been mediocre to begin games and cataclysmic in the third quarter, where the Heat sport a league-worst NET Rating (-44.4) through four games. It can’t get much worse nor can it afford to, given their daunting 20-game schedule upcoming. Miami can’t let the season slip away before it ever begins.

The Heat only have 12 lineups that have played at least five minutes and four that have played 10, per PBP Stats. Its best that has played 10 has been Alec Burks-Butler-Duncan Robinson-Jaime Jaquez Jr.-Thomas Bryant, sporting a plus-30.0 NET Rating in 15 minutes, believe it or not.

What do you think the immediate solution should be? Let us know in the comments!

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ManilaHeat

Oh and Happy Birthday kabayan coach Spo! 😊

Bout30man

We are 2-2, but with wins over two of the lesser teams. It’s too early to over-react, but eventually, if the trends are confirmed that this is at best a mediocre team, we should do one of three things;1) Make a trade using two role players and a pick, and get a quality big. 2) Put Ware in the line-up. He could become a key part in any success we have and we have no one else who has that potential. 3) Trade Jimmy, start to transition into a new era.
And, if we are around 6-9 at the fifteen game mark, the one thing we should not do is continue to run this thing back. It was an underwhelming off season and could be a seriously depressing regular season if we stay Pat.

Last edited 2 hours ago by Bout30man
heat for life

option 2 please coach 30.option3 puts us in the lottery,opt 1 unrealistic

ManilaHeat

Individually they look good but sucks as a group as per stats here. Defense looks good needs some tweaking when guys like softkittykat and banchero goes off. In offense it looks like my-turn your-turn, Spo needs to fix that and hopefully turn it around ala 2023 playoffs where the open guy gets the shot while Jimmy and Bam do their thing. Go Heat!

SunManFromDogBone

Start Jaquez. Use Burkes, Highsmith, Jovic. Dru Smith and Ware off the bench.

heat for life

what does this coach see in cluncan .sure hes the fastest to so and so 3s all the guy does is shoot 3s.one good year of 3s .the worse fn defender in nba.i watch lots games nobody plays d as bad as cluncan.he hasnt shot it good in years and hasnt defended good from birth.ridiculous hes getting mins ova locksmith and burks.nba is all about athletes.its like the qb position in football the pocket passers of the world are history gotta be able to run now

Max Pain

Spo not playing Burks who’s shooting 75% from 3 and has one of the best net ratings on the team is insane.

It requires serious amounts of over-thinking.

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