The Miami Heat have their work cut out for them if they want to make the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Currently, in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, Miami’s path to the postseason could very well include a trip to the NBA Play-In Tournament again.
Last year, the Heat earned the No. 8 seed and steamrolled their way through the postseason. They defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics before being defeated by the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
While they would prefer to avoid having to repeat that, the Heat at least know they are capable of finding success no matter what challenges lie ahead. However, their road to the postseason has gotten more complicated with the loss of sharpshooter Duncan Robinson.
Robinson has not looked like himself recently as he has been dealing with a back injury. The injury cost him five games near the end of March, but he was able to return to the lineup on March 31st.
He played in five games but didn’t look right. His 3-point shot was off, as he went 6-of-26 from long distance in those contests. Evidently, something was still not right with his back, as Robinson is heading back to the sidelines.
Heat beat writer Ira Wiinderman provided the update on Robinson and it is not an encouraging one. Robinson is set to go back to the drawing board on how to deal with the injury as things worsened on Sunday in the loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Able to play only 12 minutes against the Pacers, the Heat are now going to be without one of their key rotation players for the foreseeable future. With only four games remaining in the regular season, there is a chance that we won’t see Robinson back on the court this season.
Right now, the goal for the Heat should be getting Robinson healthy enough that he can contribute in NBA Play-In Tournament games. There is still a chance Miami can avoid that, but they will need a lot of help as the loss to Indiana dropped Miami to 1.5 games behind them in the standings, with the Philadelphia 76ers occupying the No. 7 seed.
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