The Miami Heat are one of the best teams in the NBA in the first few weeks of the 2021-22 season. They are tied atop the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards with a record of 7-3.
Pat Riley was determined to get this team back into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference after a disappointing 2020-21 season. After making the NBA Finals in the Orlando Bubble in 2020, the Heat was swept out of the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks the following season.
Looking to avoid that occurring again, Riley got to work. The most impactful acquisition he made was landing Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade from the Toronto Raptors. Miami was one of the teams that pushed to acquire him at the trade deadline, but their patience paid off as the price to acquire him was significantly less in free agency.
The signing drew some criticism, as the Heat agreed to a three-year, $90 million deal with the 35-year old point guard. Thus far, he has been one of the best signings of the offseason helping get the Heat off to their fast start.
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Lowry’s stats don’t jump off the page as he is averaging only 10 points per game to go along with 5.2 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He is struggling with his shot offensively, making only 38.6 percent of his shots overall and 34 percent of his 3-point attempts.
But, he has still had a positive impact on the team. It is how he commands and runs the offense that Miami is benefiting from. Jimmy Butler recently commented on the breakneck pace that Lowry pushes them to play at.
“He’s always looking to pitch the ball ahead,” Butler said. “You’ve gotta be in some really great shape to be out there in what we call the ‘Kyle Chaos.’”
That Kyle Chaos has worked wonderfully thus far for the Miami Heat. Once he finds his footing with his jump shot, this offense could take off to another level of production.
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Remaining healthy will also be a key factor for Kyle Lowry this season. He has battled a multitude of injuries in recent seasons. Given how impactful he is to the team’s success, they cannot afford to lose him for an extended period of time.
