Erik Spoelstra changes his rotations to revive Miami

After four bad defeats (Sixers, Warriors, Knicks and Nets), Erik Spoelstra decided to change a lot of things when receiving the Kings. Max Strus thus took the place of Duncan Robinson in the major five, Jimmy Butler was used differently to be present during the start of the second and fourth quarters, while Victor Oladipo and Markieff Morris were not used, despite the absence of Caleb Martin.

“These are tough decisions because there are so many things that could work out” explained Erik Spoelstra, in particular on the choice to leave Duncan Robinson of the five major. “But at that particular moment, we thought that these choices could clean up some problems in terms of rotations. But it’s not easy, and it takes empathy and grace from those who may not have played tonight. It also requires understanding that we have a squad full of guys who have proven their worth, and we are going to need everyone, especially in this final stretch and during the playoffs. There will be a lot of decisions based on matchups, but something had to be done. »

Relaunch the attack

In the last ten games, before the meeting against Sacramento, Miami was thus only the 24th attack in the NBA, with 110.6 points scored on 100 possessions.

“It’s not just one change, we were really disappointed after the last four games and it was creeping even before, when we were winning. No one in particular is accused. Sometimes it’s a question of chemistry, sometimes it’s just the way some players evolve with others. continues the coach.

Without going into details, Erik Spoelstra makes it clear that these changes are intended in particular to relaunch Jimmy Butler. Since the start of the season, the winger had the habit of leaving at the very end of the first quarter, to return in the middle of the second quarter. Same thing at the end of the third quarter.

Against the Kings, he came out earlier, to start the second and fourth quarters, where Miami’s opponents had become accustomed to dominating. And with a substitute Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler was able to play with the shooter and Tyler Herro, taking advantage of more space in attack to maneuver.

Use the versatility and depth of the squad

“It was good to score points. It was frustrating for everyone. We must continue to progress but the ball and the players were moving better. We kept the ball less, we moved it, the guys could play on their qualities and it was much less stagnant, that’s for sure.pursuit Erik Spoelstra.

The coach nevertheless knows that the playoffs will be very different and therefore does not freeze these changes in stone. Nevertheless, if he made these few alterations, so close to the finish, it was because he felt that frustration was rising in his group, like the headache with Jimmy Butler, refereed by Udonis Haslem, and that there was no question of letting things rot before the start of serious things.

“There’s a lot of depth to those picks but it’s just one game. Our squad is dense and ticks a lot of boxes that we need in the playoffs, in our opinion. If we are lucky enough to play different series, we know that there will be different needs. We believe that our versatility and depth are among the great strengths of this team. Currently, to maximize the strengths and talent of our attackers, it is believed that these changes were necessary. But we keep an open mind for the future”.