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It was back to a marathon for the Miami Heat, 106 games when counting preseason, regular season and postseason.
There were the high-water marks of pushing past the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs, and the low ebbs of four losses of 20 or more during the regular season and then the final buzzer that ended it all on Sunday night at FTX Arena, with the Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics.
The uniforms first went on Oct. 4, didn’t come off until May 29.
Along the way there was COVID, injuries, and Erik Spoelstra vs. Jimmy Butler vs. Udonis Haslem on that ugly night in March.
But, in the end, one of the final four teams standing in the NBA, back in the Eastern Conference finals, no longer able to be overlooked nationally.
It graded out as a unique and special season.
So a look back, a look ahead and summing up the contributions by the letter of the 2020-21 ledger.
* * *
Bam Adebayo
Grade: A-.
Age: Turns 25 on July 18.
2022-23 salary: $30.4 million, with three additional seasons on contract.
What we learned: One of the NBA most versatile defenders became even more versatile, up to any challenge created by Spoelstra or opposing coaches. Few, if any, in the NBA are as deft in switches or one-on-one challenges.
What we need to know: That there is a more reliable offensive game. It is what separates Adebayo from the next level. It is almost a riddle at this point, how there can be so much passion, aggression, decisiveness on one end of the court and yet extended passivity on the other.
* * *
Jimmy Butler
Grade: A.
Age: Turns 33 on Sept. 14
2022-23 salary: $37.7 million, with three additional seasons on contract, the last a player option.
What we learned: That when Jimmy Butler wants to be the best player on the court he still has that ability, as his breakthrough playoff moments proved. When healthy and engaged, there are few better two-way players, even at his age.
What we need to know: Can such efforts be sustained as the odometer continues to add wear and tear? The concern is whether all-of-the-time Jimmy Butler is a thing of the past, with it to be more of a case of picking his moments, as he showed in the playoffs.
* * *
Dewayne Dedmon:
Grade: C.
Age: Turns 33 on Aug. 12.
2022-23 salary: Free agent, after earning NBA minimum this season. Heat hold Bird Rights, able to exceed salary-cap to re-sign.
What we learned: When a big body is needed, Dedmon still has the ability to bang, rebound and dunk. In many ways, he still stands as the quintessential old-school back-up big man.
What we need to know: Is such a role still essential in today’s NBA, with Dedmon shuffled out of the mix by the closing stages of the Celtics series? How the Heat choose to play going forward could go a long way toward determining Dedmon’s Miami future.
* * *
Udonis Haslem
Grade: 83 (Haslem’s total minutes this season, including none in the playoffs.)
Age: Turns 42 on June 9.
2022-23 salary: Free agent, after earning NBA minimum this season. Heat hold Bird Rights, able to exceed salary-cap to re-sign.
What we learned: Teammates and the coaching staff still swear by his presence.
What we need to know: If there remains room on the roster to carry Haslem, as opposed to a contributor or developmental project.
* * *
Tyler Herro
Grade: B+.
Age: Turned 22 on Jan. 20.
2022-23 salary: $5.7 million, with extension window ahead of start of next season, otherwise restricted free agent in 2023 offseason.
What we learned: Herro excelled in his sixth-man role, while showing potential for something more. Yes, there are defensive issues, but scoring has, does and will continue to trump such concerns. Always has, especially for sixth men.
What we need to know: Is the next step there, the ability to emerge as an All-Star-level starter? That is an answer that might have to be determined quickly, with Herro’s extension window opening this offseason.
* * *
Haywood Highsmith
Grade: Incomplete.
Age: Turns 26 on Dec. 9.
2022-23 salary: $1.7 million team option.
What we learned: Highsmith had his moments when the Heat roster was ravaged by COVID at midseason. The Heat saw enough to convert KZ Okpala’s roster spot to a developmental spot for Highsmith.
What we need to know: There has been talk of creating an undersized stretch-four role for Highsmith similar to how the Heat this season utilized P.J. Tucker. That could make summer league a laboratory.
* * *
Kyle Lowry
Grade: B.
Age: Turned 36 on March 25.
2022-23 salary: $28.3 million, with one additional season on contract.
What we learned: Lowry largely filled his mandate as a floor general, the Heat more cohesive when he was on the court. But the missed time limited the contribution, most of it time away for family reasons.
What we need to know: How will Lowry, at 36, hold up for the final two seasons of his contract? Will the Heat mandate stricter conditioning standards? The playoffs raised significant concerns in that regard.
* * *
Caleb Martin
Grade: B.
Age: Turns 27 on Sept. 28.
2022-23 salary: Free agent, with Heat able to match outside offers up to mid-level exception by extending a $2.1 million qualifying offer.
What we learned: There were times when Martin was a revelation with his energetic play on both ends, as well as his ability to space the floor with his 3-point shot. Then the injuries hit and the breakthrough turned into a slowdown. It largely was a tale of two Martins.
What we need to know: Can there be a comfortable compromise when it comes to free agency? And for that decision to be made, it could come down to the role forecast for next season.
* * *
Markieff Morris
Grade: D.
Age: Turns 33 on Sept 2.
2022-23 salary: Free agent, after earning NBA minimum this season.
What we learned: That it is better to allow time to expire in a blowout loss in Denver rather than engage Nikola Jokic with a flagrant foul. The ensuing 58 games lost to whiplash never allowed Morris to regain a Heat foothold.
What we need to know: Whether the Heat will again go with such a veteran presence in the reserve power rotation or turn toward a more youthful approach. Morris was a good teammate, but rarely got to show more.
* * *
Mychal Mulder
Grade: Incomplete.
Age: Turns 28 on June 12.
2022-23 salary: Team option for two-way contract.
What we learned: That Mulder showed enough in his second stint with the Heat’s G League affiliate to earn a two-way contract at midseason and further inspection in summer league.
What we need to know: Whether the Heat will have an opening for another 3-point specialist. And that could come down to what happens with Duncan Robinson in the offseason.
* * *
Victor Oladipo
Grade: B-.
Age: Turned 30 on May 4.
2022-23 salary: Free agent, after earning NBA minimum this season. Heat hold Bird Rights, able to exceed salary-cap to re-sign.
What we learned: That Oladipo had the perseverance to work back from May 2021 quadriceps surgery and the willingness to play when less than 100 percent. The contributions were ample enough to provide value for the Heat.
What we need to know: Whether Oladipo would be willing to again accept a complementary role, possibly only at a complementary salary.
* * *
Duncan Robinson
Grade: D.
Age: Turned 26 on April 4.
2022-23 salary: $16.9 million, with three additional seasons on contract, the last not fully guaranteed.
What we learned: That a 3-point specialist who is erratic with his 3-point shooting can only have so much value. When the shots weren’t dropping, justifying playing time became difficult. It wasn’t necessarily the percentage, but rather the wild shooting swings.
What we need to know: Whether the Heat can justify carrying a role player on the salary of a starter, or whether there is a trade to be made in the wake of the emergence of Max Strus.
* * *
Javonte Smart
Grade: Incomplete.
Age: Turns 25 on June 3.
2022-23 salary: Team option for two-way contract.
What we learned: That the scoring prowess in the G League was enough to merit a two-way contract at midseason.
What we need to know: Whether another summer league with the Heat can provide a definitive answer on whether it makes sense to move forward. What happens with Victor Oladipo could have an impact here.
* * *
Max Strus
Grade: B+.
Age: Turned 26 on March 28.
2022-23 salary: $1.8 million team option.
What we learned: That Strus is more than just a 3-point specialist, also athletic enough to attack the rim, as well as provide resistance on the defensive end. Ultimately, he turned himself into another Heat success story.
What we need to know: Whether such play can be sustained and upgraded. If Strus can sustain as a starter, it provides the Heat with yet another value prospect.
* * *
P.J. Tucker
Grade: B+.
Age: Turned 37 on May 5.
2022-23 salary: $7.4 million player option.
What we learned: That it is about more than statistics or a player’s age. In the end, the Heat actually found an upgrade on what Jae Crowder provided at the end of 2019-20.
What we need to know: Whether Tucker will be willing to return for another season on a nominal salary for a starter. There currently are not many appetizing replacement options.
* * *
Gabe Vincent
Grade: B.
Age: Turns 26 on June 14.
2022-23 salary: $1.8 million team option.
What we learned: That the Heat already had a quality backup point guard in house, one who could contribute on both ends. Like Max Strus, Vincent emerged as one of the biggest roster success stories of the season.
What we need to know: Whether there can be more. As Kyle Lowry gets up in years, the reliance on Vincent or another backup point guard only figures to increase.
* * *
Omer Yurtseven
Grade: C+.
Age: Turns 24 on June 19.
2022-23 salary: $1.8 million team option.
What we learned: That when given minutes, Yurtseven proved he can score and rebound on an NBA level. His play helped sustain the Heat when Bam Adebayo was sidelined by thumb surgery.
What we need to know: Whether enough of a defensive component can be developed to create trust for a rotation role. Yurtseven well could return for a second consecutive season as the Heat’s most intriguing prospect.
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