After missing 15 straight games with a knee injury earlier in the season, Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry has been putting in some solid performances recently.
However, he still seems to be dealing with some issues, as he hasn’t been cleared for back-to-backs just yet. Before missing the aforementioned 15 games, Lowry was getting 33.3 minutes of playing time per game. Since his return, he’s been getting 24.5 minutes per game.
Lowry recently said that being strong-willed got him into the situation he’s currently in.
“Strong willing has kind of gotten me into the situation I’ve been in right now,” he said. “So I’ve got to be smart about this one and with the organization. I think we’ve been on a great page and we’ve been on the same page with everything I’ve been doing, coming off the bench, the minutes and the timing and everything, and just kind of making sure I’m available, and being able to be me when I’m in the game.”
The one-time champion is set to play in the Heat’s Tuesday game against the Toronto Raptors, but is expected to miss Wednesday night’s contest against the New York Knicks.
In the six games since his return, the former first-round pick is averaging 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest while shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Fewer minutes and a move to the bench seem to have given the 37-year-old some new life after he struggled early on in the 2022-23 campaign.
Before this season’s trade deadline, Lowry’s name was mentioned in plenty of trade rumors. It seemed like the Heat were trying pretty hard to find a deal involving the Villanova University product, but nothing ever materialized.
Opposing teams reportedly wanted the Heat to attach a first-round pick in order to offload any of their less desirable contracts. The Heat were not willing to do that.
Perhaps the Heat will try to revisit trade talks involving Lowry in the summer once his contract turns into an expiring one.
Currently, Miami and Lowry are trying to do their best to secure a postseason spot. The Heat currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference and have seven games left to move up in the standings.
