ASK IRA: Are the Heat back to square one, struggling without a true point guard?
Q: Ira, there were so many complaints about the offense not working. Whose fault is it? – Sandy.
A: It was interesting how the discourse after Friday night’s loss to the Pelicans included talk about the sputtering 3-point game as well as not getting the ball where it should have gone. To me, this brings the Heat back to the 2021 offseason, when the decision was made to go for a true point guard and make the trade for Kyle Lowry. Granted, it did not end well for the Heat with Kyle, but there at least was the acknowledgement of the need for a classic distributor. Now, with Terry Rozier more of a scoring guard than passing guard, the Heat again are attempting to play point guard by committee. They certainly have plenty of capable ball handlers. But when it comes to on time, on target, there no longer are such guarantees. The Heat traded for Terry Rozier . . . and still might need a point guard.
Q: Does this game show that Duncan Robinson is the Heat’s true MVP? – Michael.
A: No, it shows that when you play without the shooting of Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro and Kevin Love, your margin for error is slight. Or, in the Heat’s case on Friday night, the margin for error was 13 of 47. It is going to take more than Patty Mills to make this right.
Q: Hey Jimmy Butler, no more predictions, please. – Edwin.
A: Nah, Jimmy Butler isn’t going to stop, even if the results prove cringe-worthy. But what the Heat need is a Jimmy Butler capable of backing up the bravado, something closer to the Jimmy Butler we saw in the first three rounds of last season’s playoffs. If you make a guarantee, it has to be backed up by more than 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting.