Q: Opponents’ points in the paint are up, and the Heat are being consistently outrebounded of late. Has Erik Spoelstra ended the two-bigs experiment? — Ken, Coral Springs.

A: Did it ever really start? If you play two big men in today’s NBA, it is because one of them has the type of 3-point range that retains the respect of the defense. That Heat had that with Kelly Olynyk, and, to a degree, with Meyers Leonard. Even with Dewayne Dedmon converting his occasional threes or Omer Yurtseven showing such range in limited minutes, it’s not as if that would definitively open the lane for Bam Adebayo or Jimmy Butler. This roster is not designed for big-big. The problem is that the power forwards are decidedly undersized, when counting P.J. Tucker and Caleb Martin. Ultimately, Bam Adebayo simply has to come up big on the boards on a nightly basis.

Q: Love Bam Adebayo, but he is too willing to switch out on perimeter players. He does it without effective screens on him. This leads to a cascade of problems: 1. Our bigs expending energy chasing guards, which has to take a toll on their offense; 2. It creates mismatch inside; 3. It leaves us vulnerable on the glass, with our best rebounder not matched up to rebound. I am not blaming Bam for our poor defense lately. Over the course of the year, teams find ways to exploit you on both ends of the court. It is now in our coaches hands to counter. — Robert, Weston.

A: Exactly. That is not on Bam Adebayo. That is the system. And, yes, it often drives me to distraction about how the Heat simply capitulate to the matchup whims of the offense. It is one thing to switch everything when you have five top-tier defenders on the court, lineups Erik Spoelstra certainly could get to. It is another when you freely allow opponents to line up the likes of Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro and Max Strus.

Q: Ira, do you think there’s any correlation with this horrible stretch of basketball and an extended home stand with fewer games? — Juan, Denver.

A: It’s almost as if Heat need adversity. When they were climbing the standings, when they were shorthanded, when they were on the road, when they lacked rest and practice time, there was a resolve simply not seen during this run of 11 of 12 at FTX Arena that ends Monday night against the Kings. Perhaps the brutal road upcoming road swing to Boston, Chicago and Toronto will again steel their resolve.

()