Inside The Heat

Do The Miami Heat Need A Bigger Lineup?

After a strong showing in January, Omer Yurtseven's playing time has decreased

Shandel Richardson

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The Miami Heat were beaten badly in rebounding in Wednesday's loss to the Phoenix Suns. 

The Suns held a 55-38 edge in the victory. 

“I mean, [Suns center Deandre] Ayton is big," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I think we are better on the glass then what we showed tonight. Better in a lot of different areas than we showed, and that’s not taking anything away from Phoenix."

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Omer Yurtseven hasn't had much playing time since the return of Bam Adebayo

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Omer Yurtseven hasn't had much playing time since the return of Bam Adebayo

USATSI_17768295_168389536_lowres

Omer Yurtseven hasn't had much playing time since the return of Bam Adebayo

Which brings the question: Do the Heat need to rethink their frontcourt lineup? They've played small mostly throughout the season with Bam Adebayo at center and P.J. Tucker at forward. 

The lone time the Heat played big was when Adebayo was sidelined for six weeks because of thumb surgery. During that time, center Omer Yurtseven shined in Adebayo's absence. At one point, he had a rookie record with four consecutive games with at least 16 rebounds and he had 11 straight with at least 12 boards. 

Yurtseven's production has declined since Adebayo returned. He's averaged just 6.6 minutes in the last 13 games. He played just four minutes in the loss to the Suns. 

The Heat haven't suffered in the win column because they still lead the Eastern Conference. 

The Heat coaching staff has the option of playing Adebayo alongside Yurtseven. Then again, what they have done so far this season has worked. Choosing which way to go is a question the Heat have the remainder of the year to ponder. 

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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