Photo: Peter Baba

The Miami Heat’s projected starting lineup for opening night, which includes Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic, and Bam Adebayo, looked impressive during their limited playing time against New Orleans on Sunday.

Coach Erik Spoelstra was encouraged by the performance he observed, as noted by Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

“The group has gone at it with the right approach, the right mind-set just to roll up the sleeves and get to work and work on our system, work on getting comfortable with each other, working to each other’s strengths and finding different ways to do that,” Spoelstra stated, emphasizing the team’s commitment to improving their chemistry and gameplay.

Injuries had previously prevented Spoelstra from using this five-man lineup throughout last season, making their current progress particularly noteworthy.

Nikola Jovic shared his thoughts on the group’s potential, saying, “I think we have a great kind of balance between physicality and shooting, game outside of the paint and game inside the paint. I feel like that’s what people see. I feel like that lineup will be very versatile.

“But we for sure need some time like everybody else. Nothing can just happen from the jump. So we’ll see. But we’re really looking forward to playing together.”

The enthusiasm expressed by both Spoelstra and Jovic indicates a strong belief in their ability to develop a cohesive and effective unit as they gear up for the upcoming season.

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