For the younger generations, Udonis Haslem is above all a veteran stuck on the bench night after night and who extends year after year. A kind of coach in shorts for Miami. Because in recent years, the interior has spent the vast majority of the regular season on the bench.
But at the start of his career, he was a strong winger, solid in defense and opportunistic in attack. For one evening, the last of his long career, which began in 2003, he found old figures for him. Against Orlando, he scored 24 points and we have to go back to 2009, and a meeting with 28 points, to see him reach such a total!
This figure, as symbolic as it is, is more anecdotal in this evening out. The important thing was above all the tributes sent to the triple NBA champion (2006, 2012 and 2013).
“I will miss his spirit and his voice,” announces Erik Spoelstra for ESPN. “His will every day too. He never has a bad day, a change of mood. He sometimes has outbursts towards himself or his teammates, but his intentions are pure. He always thinks about winning. He wonders how he can help with that. »
“I will miss him, but he is not leaving. He’s just going to have a different role.”
Besides the fact that the Miami franchise had prepared a clip of several minutes with former teammates, the highlight of this last evening was this rocking chair offered to the veteran (who will be 43 in two months) in the center of the floor and presented by Bam Adebayo. With his family close to him, Haslem settled into this chair.
“Starter, substitute or even blocked on the bench, not to play, the guys have always had my back and showed me love”, declares the interior. “It’s invaluable to me. That’s why it was so easy to sacrifice everything. »
Since Haslem hasn’t played a playoff game since 2016, it was arguably the last game of his career on Sunday night, and not just the final one in the regular season. Erik Spoelstra must prepare the “play-in” against Atlanta, so he hardly has time to dwell on this subject, but he knows that he will find his player next season.
“He is someone I love deeply, as a competitor, but even more as a person”, explains the coach. “Our relationship has grown in many ways over the years. To put it quickly, I will miss him, but he is not leaving. He’s just going to have a different role, which will allow him to have an even bigger impact than he does now. He has already reinvented himself five or six times in the course of his career. He will still find a way to do it. »
| Udonis Haslem | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2003-04 | MIA | 75 | 24 | 45.9 | 0.0 | 76.5 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 6.3 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 7.3 |
| 2004-05 | MIA | 80 | 33 | 54.0 | 0.0 | 79.1 | 3.0 | 6.1 | 9.1 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 10.9 |
| 2005-06 | MIA | 81 | 31 | 50.8 | 0.0 | 78.9 | 2.1 | 5.8 | 7.8 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 9.4 |
| 2006-07 | MIA | 79 | 31 | 49.2 | 0.0 | 68.0 | 2.4 | 5.9 | 8.3 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 10.7 |
| 2007-08 | MIA | 49 | 37 | 46.7 | 0.0 | 81.0 | 2.2 | 6.9 | 9.0 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 12.0 |
| 2008-09 | MIA | 75 | 34 | 51.8 | 0.0 | 75.3 | 2.3 | 6.0 | 8.2 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 10.6 |
| 2009-10 | MIA | 78 | 28 | 49.4 | 0.0 | 76.2 | 2.1 | 5.9 | 8.1 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 9.9 |
| 2010-11 | MIA | 13 | 27 | 51.2 | 0.0 | 80.0 | 2.2 | 5.9 | 8.2 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 8.0 |
| 2011-12 | MIA | 64 | 25 | 42.3 | 0.0 | 81.4 | 1.8 | 5.5 | 7.3 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 6.0 |
| 2012-13 | MIA | 75 | 19 | 51.4 | 0.0 | 71.1 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 3.9 |
| 2013-14 | MIA | 46 | 14 | 50.7 | 0.0 | 56.8 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 3.8 |
| 2014-15 | MIA | 62 | 16 | 44.8 | 20.0 | 70.3 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 4.2 |
| 2015-16 | MIA | 37 | 7 | 37.7 | 11.1 | 75.0 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.6 |
| 2016-17 | MIA | 16 | 8 | 47.8 | 0.0 | 60.0 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIA | 14 | 5 | 20.0 | 12.5 | 50.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.6 |
| 2018-19 | MIA | 10 | 7 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| 2019-20 | MIA | 4 | 11 | 36.4 | 33.3 | 75.0 | 0.3 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| 2020-21 | MIA | 1 | 3 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| 2021-22 | MIA | 13 | 6 | 45.2 | 25.0 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.5 |
| 2022-23 | MIA | 6 | 8 | 8.3 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Total | 878 | 25 | 48.9 | 9.4 | 75.6 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 6.6 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 7.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
