Jaw-dropping data on new Heat starters. Adebayo on why he yelled at Spoelstra, who loved it

After shuffling through 35 starting lineups last season and four early this season, Erik Spoelstra might have identified the right mix.

Two simple changes -- replacing Terry Rozier and Nikola Jovic with Duncan Robinson and Haywood Highsmith -- have transformed Miami’s starting group from one of the league’s worst statistically to one of the best.

NBA teams have used 2000 different lineups this season, according to NBA.com. The Heat’s relatively new starting five -- Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Robinson and Highsmith -- has the 14th best plus/minus, which measures the point disparity between the teams when a particular group is on the floor together.

The former starting quintet -- Butler, Adebayo, Herro, Jovic and Rozier - has the NBA’s third worst plus/minus among those 2000. That group has been outscored by 41 points in 91 minutes.

The new quintet had outscored teams by 39 points in 106 minutes entering Sunday’s home game against Cleveland. They did some of their best work in a 25-8 stampede to open the third quarter of Saturday’s 121-111 win against Phoenix, turning a five-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead.

Most importantly, Miami entered Sunday’s game with a 6-2 record with that new starting group. Of the 35 starting lineups used by the Heat last season (many the byproduct of injuries), not a single one was four games or more above .500. This season’s previous starting group was 3-5.

Why is that group working?

“We got a lot of firepower,” Herro said. “Duncan brings a different element to the lineup. He’s able to create so many different advantages, which has opened up the court for me, Bam and Jimmy. Having Haywood out there as a defensive presence, you don’t have to put me or Duncan on one of the best players. It makes sense.”

Consider:

▪ Specifically when the new starting lineup on the court, the Heat is averaging 120.4 points per 48 minutes. As perspective, Cleveland entered Sunday leading the league in scoring at 121.8 points per game.

▪ The Heat averages 124.3 points per 100 possessions when its new starting lineup plays together. The Knicks lead the league in that category with a 121.1 offensive rating.

▪ The Heat’s defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) is a very good 105.6 with the new starting group, which would rank fourth best in the league among the 30 teams.

▪ The new starting lineup’s 18.7 net rating (the difference between a team’s offensive and defensive ratings) would easily be the best in the league if compared to every team’s entire body of work. Oklahoma City leads the NBA with an 11.9 net rating.

The key to the new starting group, according to Butler, is “we are making all the right plays, getting the ball to everybody at a high clip and guarding. Kudos to everyone for kicking out to the opening guy.”

HERRO WORSHIP

Spoelstra said something interesting about Tyler Herro, while Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer invoked Steph Curry’s name when discussing Herro before he shot 8 for 12 and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals against the Suns.

“He has a motor offensively that… really tests you defensively,” Budenholzer said. “You cannot stop or relax. The way Steph Curry can kind of play, the hand-offs and getting it back and giving it up and chasing it. He’s a shot maker. He can really make shots at all three levels. He’s a unique and gifted scorer.”

Spoelstra said “with Tyler, I always respected his ambition and I want to honor that and I want to push him and create an environment that is going to get the best in him where his play can match his ambition. That’s one of his superpowers and I love that quality about him. You add that ambition with a relentless work ethic.

“He’s one of the few guys where you are monitoring and say, ‘don’t do too much.’ In the days in between games, coming in twice, two or three times a day. And he wants to be part of winning.”

A game after he made 9 of 16 threes against a Lakers defense that repeatedly left him open, Herro took only two three-pointers against a team guarding him far more closely before making his first three with 2:20 left.

Herro has hit at least one three-pointer in 55 consecutive regular season games. That’s the NBA’s third longest active streak, behind Atlanta’s Bogan Bogdanovic (100) and Dallas’ Luka Doncic (87).

Was he aware of the streak late in the game? “I started to see it last week [but] honestly I forgot all about it until I made the shot and I was like ‘oh yeah.’

His 87 three-pointers are tied for second most in the league, trailing only Anthony Edwards (98).

▪ Spoelstra said he loved that Adebayo yelled at him during Saturday’s game when Spoelstra went to a zone, because “I want him to take control of the defense. He’s our voice.”

Adebayo light-heartedly described what happened: “In that situation, Spo always gets on us for glitching. That was one of his glitches. He was like, ‘Get in a zone.’ I’m like ‘bro, you can’t do that in the middle of the play. That doesn’t help us.’ Next time downcourt I barked at him, told him to stop doing it. I think he learned from that.”

▪ The Heat ruled out Pelle Larsson (sprained right ankle), Josh Christopher (G League) and Kel’el Ware (G League) for Sunday’s game against the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers will be without Emoni Bates (G League), Isaac Okoro (left knee contusion), Craig Porter Jr. (illness) and Max Strus (sprained right ankle) against the Heat.

▪ Adebayo is hosting his annual Toy Drive on Monday at Kaseya Center, partnering with local organizations to invite 1,000 pre-selected children ages 4-13 from various foundations across the Miami area.

Each child will be able to select toys from a variety of categories, including educational toys, action figures, dolls and sports equipment.

“This event is one of the highlights of my year,” Adebayo said. “The holidays are a time for giving, and there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing these kids so happy as they choose toys and enjoy the festivities. I’m honored to be able to bring some joy to their lives.”

Miami Herald sports writer Anthony Chiang contributed to this report.