Spoelstra’s Masterplan! Heat’s Coach Unveils ‘Switch Killer’s as Key to Unlocking Miami’s Full Potential

Despite moving on from Jimmy Butler’s distraction, the Miami Heat appear yet to refind their groove.

The Heat have been shrouded in Butler trade talk and fallout for months, and while their former star is now shining with the Warriors, it seems Erik Spoelstra’s team has yet to find its winning formula.

A 118-113 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks, who themselves are dealing with a major departure in Luka Doncic, handed the Heat their fourth straight loss.

The Heat side has been reeling from absentees in recent games with a sickness bug impacting the team, but coach Spoelstra was not looking to make excuses and pinpointed one new star who can make a major impact in the coming weeks.

Spoelstra impressed by Kyle Anderson

There’s certainly a new feel to the Heat team who have seen several new faces enter the organization over the last week.

Kyle Anderson, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell all made their way to Kaseya Center, it’s now about bedding them in.

Bam Adebayo was all praise for Mitchell after his debut against the Boston Celtics, the Heat were without Adebayo for the defeat to the Mavericks which would have been a major loss considering he has been named as a crucial team leader.

Mitchell dropped just 5 points and 4 assists against the Mavs but it was newcomer Anderson who stepped forward to show his potential impact on the team.

His 15-10-3 display caught the eye of coach Spoelstra who after the game shared his thoughts on the team’s newest acquisition, saying: “He has enough savviness, enough experience. He’s been a winning player for multiple teams and it’s for a reason.

“He just knows how to play, how to fit in and he was kind of a switch killer here in this game. He kind of ran out of gas in the second half but pick and rolls, catch and shoot, post splits, that wasn’t getting any traction really.”

Heat needs to find perfect combination

For any organization dealing with wholesale changes midway through a busy campaign, it’s never going to be an easy transition.

The Heat have lost perhaps their greatest playmaker in Butler and have welcomed in three new, talented faces.

While there is little doubt that Wiggins, Anderson and Mitchell will all have an impact on the team going forward the Heat must find their strongest starting five before their season unravels.

Following their four straight losses they now sit with a 25-28 record which has seen them drop from sixth in the East to ninth in a week.

The team will look forward to welcoming back their 10 absentees from the Mavericks defeat following the All-Star break which has come at the perfect time for Spoelstra to work with his new troops.

A test against the Toronto Raptors meets the team in their return, a game they will be hoping to stop the slide in.