The Miami Heat are hoping the addition of veteran point guard Kyle Lowry can take them over the top in the Eastern Conference.
The longtime Toronto Raptors star made his debut with the Heat, playing in the first half before sitting out the rest of the night.
Lowry would see 14:36 of court time all up, tallying five points, four rebounds and seven assists, while registering just one turnover. Although his stint on the court was short, he still managed to dish one of the highlights of the day, tossing a lob to Bam Adebayo who flushed home the reverse alley-oop.
Brb gonna watch this 100 times pic.twitter.com/WvpkiiSsr0
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 5, 2021
“Me and Kyle didn’t play on the same team as much in practice but when we’re on the same team it’s like an instant click," said Adebayo of playing alongside Lowry.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra was equally as positive in his analysis of Lowry's impact, highlighting his ability to play on and off the ball.
"I'm looking forward to learning from him, and seeing how he views the game. But he also has a unique way of playing off the ball."
Miami cruised to the 125-99 win over the Atlanta Hawks with Jimmy Butler out and Adebayo also held to fewer than 15 minutes.
It wasn't all good news for the Heat, with free agent signing P.J. Tucker leaving the court during the second quarter with a groin injury. Tucker would not return, with a timeline on the injury not yet revealed.
Spoelstra told reporters postgame that Tucker said he felt "fine", but they would have to see how he recovered in the coming days.
Man management might become a theme for the Heat this season, with Butler, Lowry and Tucker all north of 30 years old. Tucker, 36, is just over two months removed from a gruelling postseason run with the Milwaukee Bucks.
For now, at least, the early signs are positive with Lowry running the offence in Miami.
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