We’re still four games into a grueling 82-game season for the Miami Heat, but first impressions matter.

The Miami Heat opened the 2024-25 season with a new starting 5 that didn’t play a single possession last season: Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo. It’s still way-to-early in the NBA season, but through one week, the lineup has not only been one of the worst on the Heat, but in the entire NBA.

According to Cleaning The Glass, whose lineup data filters out any groupings that haven’t played at least 100 possessions, the quintet has posted a league-worst minus-24.6 NET Rating in 117 possessions. That number grades in the 0th percentile. Better yet, it ranks in the 0th percentile in effective field goal percentage (44.5), 6th percentile in offensive rating (96.6) and in the 12th percentile in defensive rating (121.1).

In fairness, there are only 17 lineups that have played at least 100 possessions together, so it’s not a big sample. It’s damning, to say the least.

Adebayo’s gotten off to a slow start on both ends of the floor; Rozier and Herro have been turnstiles at the point-of-attack while Jovic has struggled, at times, on the glass. Butler shouldn’t be exempt from criticism, too, considering he’s laid two eggs in their two losses.

It’s still a very much work in progress with a very small sample. It’s been mediocre to begin games and cataclysmic in the third quarter, where the Heat sport a league-worst NET Rating (-44.4) through four games. It can’t get much worse nor can it afford to, given their daunting 20-game schedule upcoming. Miami can’t let the season slip away before it ever begins.

The Heat only have 12 lineups that have played at least five minutes and four that have played 10, per PBP Stats. Its best that has played 10 has been Alec Burks-Butler-Duncan Robinson-Jaime Jaquez Jr.-Thomas Bryant, sporting a plus-30.0 NET Rating in 15 minutes, believe it or not.

What do you think the immediate solution should be? Let us know in the comments!

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