Q: Ira, Nikola Jovic said he is sitting out because he doesn’t want his back injury to linger. But are we forgetting his career has had nothing but injuries? – Steven.
A: That would be hard to do since he missed the final 27 games of last season with a broken hand, missed 30 games in 2022-23 with a back issue, in addition to other assorted sidelining issues over his first three seasons. But perhaps this break due to back pain also shows that he has learned from those experiences, knowing when not to push, such as during the preseason. Erik Spoelstra stressed that Nikola would be working these next few days while he is away from the team, so there is hope of a fresh start once the regular season opens. But, yes, he has to be on the court for this current confidence from the staff to pay off, as well as for his extension to pay off.
Q: How effective can Bam Adebayo be as captain when he shows up to preseason unprepared to hold his own on offense? His comments also show an either/or approach to leadership, almost implying that he needs to focus on leading at the cost of holding his own part of the offensive bargain. – Cesar, Sanford.
A: I think you are confusing leadership with productivity. Udonis Haslem stands as the perfect example of being able to lead without posting gaudy statistics, or, candidly, any statistics at all. So I think you are drawing from two diverse buckets. Bam Adebayo is highly respected in the locker room as a leader. Now, does he need to produce more on offense to live up to his leading-man status and contract? Absolutely.
Q: Ira, can we really afford to be sitting starters during the preseason? – Nate.
A: You can when you are playing a league-high six exhibitions, including the back-to-back set that opened Sunday in Orlando and concludes Monday in Atlanta. In fact, had Erik Spoelstra rolled out his regulars in both games of the back-to-back set there likely would have been questions the other way, about risk injuries in meaningless games. Considering the number of players already having missed time this preseason due to injuries or ailments, there is plenty to be said about prudence.