Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry believes that his knee is not healthy enough for him to play effectively for Miami, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
Lowry last played in a game for Miami on Feb. 2 against the New York Knicks.
“There remains hope that he will play again this season,” Jackson wrote. “According to a source, Lowry is not being held out by the team for any nebulous or disciplinary or conditioning reasons. He believes his knee is not healthy enough for him to play effectively.”
This isn’t a great sign for Miami, especially since the team didn’t add a veteran guard at the trade deadline or in the buyout market. Patrick Beverley, Goran Dragic and Russell Westbrook all could have been options to at least give the Heat depth at the position with Lowry out.
Instead, the Heat are going to need to rely on Gabe Vincent, Victor Oladipo and Tyler Herro to handle the ball from the guard position. Jimmy Butler will also likely play a big role facilitating the team’s offense.
Lowry is averaging 12.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range in the 2022-23 campaign. Even when he has played, he has not been as effective as he has been most of this NBA career.
The six-time All-Star is shooting his worst percentage from beyond the arc since the 2009-10 season when he was with the Houston Rockets.
In the 12 games that Lowry has missed since going down with the knee injury, the Heat are just 5-7. They have fallen to the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference and are two games back of the No. 6 seed Brooklyn Nets.
There is still plenty of time for Lowry to return this season, and the Heat have to hope that he can come back and play an important role for a playoff run.
Miami has Lowry under contract for another season after acquiring him in a sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Raptors prior to the 2021-22 campaign.
Lowry has been ruled out for Miami’s game against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, which will be his 13th straight absence. His next chance to play would then be the team’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, March 8.
The Heat have just 17 games remaining in the regular season.
