Spoelstra thinks lineup evolving
WASHINGTON — As the Miami Heat have found greater truths, and increased success, with their starting lineup, coach Erik Spoelstra on Sunday revealed the substantial growing pains his team endured behind the scenes at the start of the season.
“You’re never there, but they’ve owned it and they’ve worked at it,” Spoelstra said of his starting lineup of Hassan Whiteside, Chris Bosh, Luol Deng, Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic. “The first few weeks, you can’t dance around it. It’s a negative. ‘OK, what are going to do about it?’ ”
Amid that early unease, Spoelstra said his team reflected and took stock.
“And that took a lot of work, took a lot of practice time, it took some meetings, it took film sessions and it’s taken minutes in games, under pressure, under failure, under adversity, to go through all those things to make it better,” Spoelstra said before his team faced the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center.
“And we’re still not where we want to be. But at least right now you’re starting to see them get more comfortable. How can they be aggressive? How can they defend at a high level? And how can they make the game easier for each other?”
Spoelstra said he found himself turning inward, as well.
“It’s taken some introspection on my part, too,” he said, “to learn how to get them all in a place where they’re most comfortable. But I really commend them for working at it and not getting frustrated to the point of not finding solutions.”
Spoelstra said it has led to a unique 2015-16 Heat experience.
“We have almost seven guys in double figures. That’s not necessarily like a Miami Heat team that we’ve had,” he said. “That’s different. And I like that. And when you have that kind of balance, what you have to understand is certain guys will have great impacts on certain nights. It’ll be different guys other nights.”
Richardson returns
As expected, the Heat recalled rookie guard Josh Richardson and forward Jarnell Stokes from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, in time for Sunday’s game.
Richardson, who left the Heat after Tuesday’s road loss at Memphis, appeared in games with the Skyforce on Thursday and Saturday, a pair of victories, averaging 23 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in an average of 39 minutes, shooting .447 from the field in the two starts.
Spoelstra said he was pleased with the work of the second-round pick out of Tennessee under Skyforce coach Dan Craig, the former Heat assistant.
“It was great, because he was able to get a ton of minutes, a ton of pick and rolls. That’s what D.C. and I talked about,” Spoelstra said. “The minutes are the only way to learn. Those two games were invaluable. I’d love to give him
more games.”
Stokes approach
Stokes has appeared in 11 games with Sioux Falls, starting each, in three stints with the Skyforce this season, helping them to a 10-1 record while averaging 19.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.18 steals, 1.09 blocks in an average of 29 minutes, shooting .672 from the field. He has posted four double-doubles and scored at least 20 points six times with the Skyforce.
“Jarnell has been a real, impact, force player in the paint,” Spoelstra said of Stokes’ D-League play, with the power forward again inactive Sunday.
“The way this league is right now, also, you might say a player like Jarnell 10 years ago, you might ask what position is he? Is he undersized? Can he play? But he’s a basketball player. He’s physical. He’s a presence.”