Miami Heat Missing Jimmy Butler But Terry Rozier's Absence Is Equally Damaging

Shandel Richardson | Apr 28, 2024

Apr 7, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) passes the ball while driving to the basket - Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat are playing without their best player in Jimmy Butler during the playoffs.

No Butler has put the Heat at a mismatch against the Boston Celtics in the first round but Terry Rozier's absence could be just as damaging. The Heat are basically playing without a point guard in the series, which they trail 2-1.

"We don't have a "point guard" right now," Heat guard Tyler Herro said. "But we have a bunch of guys that can get us into the offense. I think they're going to, like they did [Saturday], continue to try to bring that pressure to us so we can get sped up and make the decisions harder for us to make." 

The closest thing the Heat have to a point guard is reserve Patty Mills, who is 35 and years removed from his productive days. Mills had seven points and an assist in 12 minutes but most of it came after the game was decided.

Herro is in the role of facilitator without Rozier, who has played the point throughout his career. He averaged 5.6 assists in his time with the Charlotte Hornets and Heat this season. That is more than any available Heat player in the playoffs.

Although Herro is averaging 6.7 assists against the Celtics, that is mostly because of his 14 assists in Game 2. He has mostly struggled in the dual role.

"They did a couple different adjustments," Herro said of the Celtics' defensive plan. "When Jrue [Holiday]wasn't guarding me, he was randomly coming over, making me pick up the ball and making the ball get out of my hands." 

Poor play at the point led to another slow start in Game 3. The Heat often were unable to get into their offense until the shot-clock was almost expiring.

"Once they started bullying us, bodying us and getting us out of any kind of triggers or action, it was easy to flatten us out at that point," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Nobody was open. We were left at the end of possessions just going one on one."