Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry told Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra that he’d be available to play all 48 minutes if the team needed him with several players sidelined due to injury.
“I can’t say enough about Kyle Lowry and that’s why he has that reputation that he does, as a winner,” Spoelstra said. “He’s dealing with his stuff, too, and he’s just, ‘I’m available, Coach. Whatever you need from me. If you need me to play 48, I’ll play 48.’”
Lowry is averaging 36.4 minutes per game this season, his most since the 2016-17 season, and he’s been needed with Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and others dealing with injury. Herro hasn’t played since Nov. 4 against the Indiana Pacers, and Butler has missed Miami’s last three games with an injury.
The injuries have cost the Heat in a big way recently, as the team has lost four straight contests heading into Wednesday’s matchup with the Washington Wizards.
Miami’s guard depth has been hurt all season long since Victor Oladipo has yet to make his season debut, which has left a lot on the shoulders of Lowry and Gabe Vincent.
It’s clear that Lowry will do anything to help the team win this season, even though he’s one of the older players on the roster. The 36-year-old is averaging 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game in the 2022-23 campaign while shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc.
The Heat enter Wednesday’s game with a 7-11 record this season. The team finished with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, but Miami hasn’t found the same success early in the 2022-23 campaign.
Butler and Duncan Robinson have already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game while Herro, Dewayne Dedmon and Vincent are all questionable.
Since joining the Heat prior to the 2021-22 season, Lowry has taken a bit of a step back as a scorer, but he’s been one of the team’s leading playmakers and a leading presence in the locker room.
The fact that Lowry is willing to play so many minutes right now has to be a comfort for Spoelstra, who has played him over 40 minutes in two of the Heat’s last three games.
The Heat and Wizards are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday night in Miami. It will be the first of two straight games the teams play against each other, with the second coming on Friday night.
