As the Miami Heat continue to figure out the right rotations to turn the season around, especially after the team suffered a 98-86 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, there was an eye-opening aspect that happened on the bench.

Erik Spoelstra discussed longevity this past week in terms that made it clear he feels no need nor sees a need to think about anything but coaching his next Miami Heat game.

Zachary Weinberger is a credentialed Miami Heat reporter and an Associate Editor covering the NBA at-large, NCAA Football, and NCAA Basketball for ClutchPoints. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022, covering sports at the FAU University Press and later at The Palm Beach Post.

Just when Erik Spoelstra was getting closer to a post-Jimmy Butler Miami Heat rotation he could trust. Nikola Jovic’s right hand began to feel wonky and then swollen.

As the Miami Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, there were many contributions from the team, but one that stood out was newcomer Davion Mitchell, who came over in the Jimmy Butler trade.

The home-heavy schedule will be a chance to fix the flaws the Heat have which have included blowing double-digit leads going into the fourth quarter among other aspects. Spoelstra's message to the team is pretty simple, it's to “quiet all the noise” and focus on the aspects that have made the team successful in the first place.

A: Correct. If the Heat end the season as a play-in team and then do not advance to the playoffs as a top-eight seed in the East, they would be eligible for the lottery, albeit with the longest of odds. Still, the Heat have thrived late in the lottery in previous seasons, with selections such as Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.

The post-Jimmy Butler reality for the Miami Heat remains similar to the reality of when Butler still was around: Make your 3s, win the game.

In a league where stoppages can be incessant, Erik Spoelstra largely has gone with the flow. To a degree, that has worked to the Miami Heat’s detriment.