Miami Heat veteran forward Udonis Haslem fired back at a fan on Instagram that clowned him for his defense on Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum.
Haslem, who has played in just three games for the Heat this season, was forced into action on Wednesday night against Boston due to Miami’s lengthy injury report. Haslem played just over nine minutes and put up one rebound and a steal. He missed both of his shot attempts in the game.
Fans may be taking shots at the veteran forward for being matched up on Tatum, but there wasn’t a single Heat player that had an answer for the Celtics’ All-Star wing on Wednesday night.
Tatum finished the game with 49 points on 15-of-25 shooting from the field. He hit eight of his 12 shot attempts from beyond the arc and added 11 rebounds in the Celtics’ win.
It was a dominant performance by Tatum, but Haslem clearly isn’t going to take any trash from fans after all of the years he has put in with the Heat.
The 42-year-old has been a fixture on Miami’s roster since the 2003-04 season. Even though he no longer plays major minutes for the Heat, Haslem is a leader in the locker room and on the bench during games.
During the 2021-22 season, the three-time NBA champion appeared in 13 games for Miami. He averaged 2.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc.
The Heat are hoping that they can get some players back from injury as the season progresses such as star Jimmy Butler, guard Victor Oladipo and potentially big man Omer Yurtseven much later in the 2022-23 season.
For now, Haslem appears ready and willing to do whatever it takes for the team even though he’s well past his prime.
The Heat and Haslem will get another chance at Tatum and the Celtics on Friday, Dec. 2. Boston currently has the best record in the NBA after Wednesday’s win.
Miami is just 2-8 on the road this season, so the team will be looking to reverse that trend with a win in Boston on Friday.