Heat's Riley challenges Lowry to be in 'better shape' next season

Kyle Lowry's conditioning wasn't up to Pat Riley's standards during his first season with the Miami Heat.

"I'm not saying when he was younger he wasn't in the kind of condition that he was in this year, but he definitely is going to have to address that, and it will be addressed," Riley told reporters Monday, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell.

Riley added: "I think he can be in better shape, and I do believe that the pain of losing and the reminders that you send out about this might change his mind a little bit, but I do think that he can be in better shape next year."

Riley has been a huge proponent of fitness since becoming Miami's president of basketball operations in 1995.

Ex-Heat forward James Johnson was once banished from training camp because he wasn't meeting the club's strict conditioning requirements and couldn't rejoin the team until he fulfilled those standards.

Miami acquired Lowry last summer in a sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Raptors. The 36-year-old registered 13.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.5 boards, and 1.1 steals per game in the first season of a three-year, $85-million contract.

However, Lowry's health has been an issue over the last few seasons. The six-time All-Star hasn't played more than 65 games since the 2017-18 campaign.

Lowry missed eight of the Heat's 18 playoff contests due to a lingering hamstring injury. The veteran guard was a shell of his former self when available, averaging 7.8 points on 29.1% shooting, including a 24.1% clip from deep.

"Kyle had a challenging year for a lot of reasons," Riley said. "I don't have to get into them, they're personal, they're other things, but he had a challenging year with the move and everything earlier in the season, he had some injuries, missed some time, and then there were some personal issues.

"The bottom line with me, and for me as far as hoping that you can get the most out of a player, is that you got to be in world-class shape. You just have to be."