- Jimmy Butler praises tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, who says he gets nervous playing in front of celebrities like Heat star
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- Tyler Herro indicates Miami Heat are looking to finish 6th seed or higher
- Gilbert Arenas admits he couldn’t ‘beat [Dwyane] Wade for s–t’
- Tristan Thompson says Miami Heat LeBron James was ‘scariest’ version, Mario Chalmers on some ‘sucka s–t’
- Jimmy Butler admits he doesn’t start ‘playing for real’ until after the All-Star break
- Jimmy Butler on Dwyane Wade: ‘I always want to make him proud’
- Erik Spoelstra ‘open to anything’ amid Miami Heat’s ever-changing center rotation
- Stan Van Gundy says Dwyane Wade is the best last-shot player he’s ever seen
- NBA executive believes Max Strus ‘most likely’ will leave Miami Heat in free agency
Victor Oladipo’s team-first approach to Erik Spoelstra tightening the Miami Heat’s rotation
- Updated: April 2, 2022
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo offered a team-first response when asked about head coach Erik Spoelstra’s decision to tighten the team’s rotation as the postseason gets closer.
Oladipo has battled back to return from quadriceps surgery, but he understands Spoelstra’s decision to use players that have established the team’s core this season.
“It just is what it is,” Oladipo told the Sun Sentinel regarding the tightening of the rotation. “At the end of the day, it’s bigger than me.
“So I just got to continue to keep getting strong, keep doing what I can, to stay ready.”
When healthy, Oladipo is able to provide the Heat with solid all-around play on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, he’s had his share of health issues in recent years.
The Heat acquired Oladipo last season, but he was only able to play in four games with the team before undergoing season-ending surgery.
After rehabilitation, he got back on the court last month and has come off the bench in six games. In those contests, he’s only averaged 6.3 points per game and is only connecting on 37.5 percent of his shots from the field.
Having been in the league since 2013, Oladipo knows that durability is vitally important to any team contending for an NBA title. That’s surely why he’s taking a mature approach toward Spoelstra’s decision.
The Heat are in a tight race to capture the best record in the Eastern Conference. Miami is currently in first place in the East and holds a slim one-game advantage over the Milwaukee Bucks, who are in second place in the conference.
By continuing to stay ready, Oladipo could end up playing a very important role for the Heat during the postseason.
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