Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Young players: Time is now to step up, to ‘grow up’
CHARLOTTE — From the start, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra appreciated what he had in terms of leadership when it came to 16-year-veterans Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem.
He also recognized he needed more, from those whose NBA experience is far less.
“I mentioned before with this team that if we got to March and Dwyane and UD were the only leaders in the locker room, we would be in trouble — and that’s not what happened,” Spoelstra said.
Instead, the Heat’s playoff push also has featured the voices of Josh Richardson, Jus-
tise Winslow, Bam Adebayo and the team’s other young players.
Because this is no time to defer.
“We can’t be young guys anymore,” Adebayo said, as the Heat turned their attention to Wednesday night’s playoff-race showdown with the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. “We’ve got to grow up.”
That maturation, Wade said, has been tangible — and necessary.
“Their voices are being heard more,” Wade said. “Josh’s voice is being heard every day, from the standpoint of even when we bring it in, Josh’s voice is being heard. He makes sure he’s the one who brings us in every day. Justise’s voice is being heard more.
“For these guys to get more comfortable in the role that we’ve all talked about, what we need them to do, it’s not necessarily a comfortable thing for anyone. It wasn’t comfortable for me before I had to become a leader. But it’s the nature of it — you’re next up.”
For Wade, at 37 the end is within sight, with this “One Last Dance” season his final in the NBA. Haslem, 38, is moving toward similar closure, a three-time NBA champion like Wade.
“We’re going to go as far as they take us,” Wade said. “When Justise and Josh play well, we’ve got a chance to beat anyone. So we understand their importance.”
As do the former neophytes.
“As far as stepping into that leadership role, that is something that has been kind of a challenge for me, getting out of my personal shell and using my voice more,” Winslow, 22, said. “But I’ve grown into that role, and that’s something I do want, eventually is to be a leader of an NBA organization. “Just learning from those guys, D-Wade and Udonis, how they handle themselves, just watching them in timeouts or how they talk to guys on the court, that’s something I’ve kind of tried to put into my game and my leadership skills. So a lot of the leader I am is because of those guys.”
Richardson, 25, said the conversation has grown more inclusive with the growth of the games of himself, Winslow, Adebayo and Derrick Jones Jr.
“The last three games has been a great group effort, stepping up like that,” he said. “So going forward, it’s going to have to stay that way, ‘cause they’re not going to be here forever.”
At 21, Adebayo said age has given way to comfort.
“Just from my perspective,” he said, “I’ve taken a lot of strides in getting myself involved in really starting to become a leader on this team and just letting everybody hear my voice. So, like in the huddles, I may say something and everybody’s conscious of listening. They trust me enough for them to listen to me.
“Even sometimes I’ll tell D-Wade something I see on the court, and he’ll be like, ‘Alright, I’ll check.’ It just takes experience and time in getting to know your teammates.”
There still will be games such as Monday’s 114-113 victory over the Atlanta Hawks when the youth steps aside for a 14-point fourth quarter from Wade, no teammate scoring more than six in the period.
But now there also is the confidence from the younger players to offer input, contribute without deference.
“We’re going to continue to grow,” Winslow said. “But as young guys, we just want to put our best foot forward. We want to see how good we really are and how we match up.”