Udonis Haslem stuck in a slump lately; Miami Heat hoping for him to step up – NBA Playoff Update
With Chris Bosh out indefinitely due to a lower abdominal strain, one player on whom the Miami Heat would rely mostly, other than LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, is Udonis Haslem.
A veteran, usually known for his defensive and rebounding prowess, Haslem would now be required not only to box out the opponents on the D, but also to do some low post scoring as the Heat look to return to the Conference Finals
this year after beating the Indiana Pacers.
Haslem however has been having a torrid time off late. He has averaged only 3.5 points on a 31.8 percent shooting from the field and 6.2 rebounds so far in this year playoffs and if the Heat are to stay put in the absence of Bosh,
he would have to raise the level up a notch.
The player himself seems at a loss as to what is the reason for his recent slump in shooting, but it has been his poor offense which has caused his absence in the fourth quarters of the last two games.
With him struggling to find his rhythm throughout the season, his shooting average has dropped to 42.3 percent but Udonis has not let that get in the way of his work on the glass. He led his team in rebounds per minute in the
first round and has the intentions of doing the same in this series as well.
“I can’t judge myself on how I’m playing on offense,” Haslem said. “The way I look at the game is how I’m doing on the boards and how I do defensively. On the boards, I led us in rebounds per minute last series, and I intend to
do the same this series.”
When asked about whether he has been disappointed for not featuring in the fourth quarter of the last game, Haslem completely bounced off the idea crediting his team mates who have been getting the job done.
“I want to be out there, but guys have been getting it done in the fourth quarter.” - Haslem
He further went on to add that he does not need to score much to influence the game as James and Wade can take over in that aspect.
“The other guys, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, will pick up the scoring load, so I’ll focus on the energy and rebounding part.”
Erik Spoelstra also backed Haslem maintaining that despite having a poor showing on the offensive end, the power forward has all the capabilities of taking some key shots in the ball game.
“All I know is he has [made shots] in big moments,” Spoelstra said.
However Spoelstra has opted to keep all of his options open and has not made any assurances regarding who will start in game 2 in place of Bosh.
Tags: