Ira Winderman: Is this the rare moment when self-centered becomes central to the Heat?

DETROIT — Selfless, sacrifice, never what-about-me, always what-about-we. It has been Erik Spoelstra’s bedrock since taking over as Miami Heat coach, a roadmap to significant success through commitment to the collective.

And yet, as the Heat again wobble to the regular-season finish line, might this actually be time to turn inward, perhaps ask not what your team can do for you — ask what you can do for your team?

For the Heat, it could be as rudimentary as turning inward, the team’s contributors recognizing personally what is at stake.

Because plenty is at stake.

With a little selfishness perhaps going a long way.

Such as . . .

— Jimmy Butler: The plan all along has been to seek a two-year extension this summer, one valued in excess of $100 million, one that would carry Butler to his 38th birthday.

With playoff success similar to last season’s, it would be difficult to justify not rewarding such enduring success into his mid-30s.

But that also means having to get deep into the playoffs, by first making it into the playoffs, and then by making it perhaps at least as deep as the conference finals.

So it is in this moment, the final four weeks of the regular season, where a foundation can be laid.

Otherwise does Butler-v.-Riley/Arison turn into Wade-v.-Riley/Arison 2.0?

— Bam Adebayo: Never one to shy from projections/expectations of significant magnitude, Adebayo set out this season to win Defensive Player of the Year or at least make one of the three All-NBA teams.

Such placement would qualify Adebayo for a super-max extension this summer.

While not all has gone according to expectation, media ballots for those awards aren’t due until after the April 14 regular-season finale. So if ever there was a time to move himself back into the voters’ consciousness, that moment is at hand.

While the Defensive Player of the Year buzz has been all about Rudy Gobert and even Victor Wembanyama, keep in mind that the 65-game rule has lessened the All-NBA field, removing candidates such as Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, Jamal Murray, Donovan Mitchell, and even the Heat’s Butler.

— Caleb Martin: Amid last season’s playoff run to the NBA Finals, it was all but a given that Martin would opt out of the $7.1 million player option for 2024-25 on his Heat contract and cash in well beyond mid-level money.

Now, amid an uneven, injury-limited season, such a payday hardly is assured.

Of course, a solid close to the regular season and a breakout similar to his performance in last season’s Eastern Conference finals quickly would erase any doubts.

In many ways, that makes this stretch run contract season for Martin.

— Haywood Highsmith: While not viewed at the same pay grade as Martin, the expectation had been of Highsmith moving beyond his current minimum-scale deal in free agency this summer.

Then came knee, back and concussion issues and a slide now from starter to limited-minutes reserve.

A playoff spotlight, such as the one he gained a year ago, could go a long way toward a significant salary upgrade. Otherwise, it could be back to the grind.

— Terry Rozier: No, this is not a contract year for Rozier, who has two more years left on his deal.

But from the moment he was acquired in January for Kyle Lowry’s expiring contract, the perception from both sides was that his contract also could stand as a trade chip if things did not work out.

So far, the grade is very much one of incomplete, in large part because of his lack of cohesion amid the Heat’s injury absences.

With Rozier due $24.9 million next season, this playoff stretch run, and then hopefully the playoffs, themselves, could well stand as judgement weeks.

— Tyler Herro: Similar to Rozier, this is not about a contract year, with Herro locked in for three more seasons. But it could be about fit, and trust, and faith.

With Herro yet again sidelined by injury, there remains the question about whether his 2020 playoff breakout in the Disney bubble was a one off.

Herro and the Heat need these next four weeks and whatever follows to inspire confidence both ways.

IN THE LANE

CULTURE WARS: Make no mistake, with his team playing this past week for the first time on the Heat’s “Culture” court, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone took note of what some consider the hubris of the Heat marketing campaign. It all basically served as a setup for Reggie Jackson and Christian Braun powering Denver off the bench to the victory. “Part of our culture — because we do have a culture in Denver as well — part of our culture is being selfless, getting over yourself,” Malone said somewhat pointedly, as Denver defeated the Heat for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings. “And I think that’s another example of how our team is always getting over the individual, thinking about the collective.” So victory . . . and some shade.

FINAL THOUGHT: For his part, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra exited that loss with nothing but praise for center Bam Adebayo helping limit Nuggets MVP-level center Nikola Jokic to 12 points. “There’s no one better in the league that can negotiate this,” Spoelstra said. “First of all, nobody will go toe-to-toe minute-for-minute against Jokic other than Bam. Bam signs up for that and he’ll put himself out there and be vulnerable to the competition. That’s the competitor of all competitors. That just sets the tone.”

PLUS ONE: Add former Heat center Shaquille O’Neal to the Adebayo fan club, as well. With former Heat guard Mario Chalmers a guest on his The Big Podcast, O’Neal made a case for Adebayo as Defensive Player of the Year over front-runner Rudy Gobert. First O’Neal said of Gobert, “I never thought he was a great defensive player, either. See, what it is, is there is a not a lot of centers that are making him play defense,” O’Neal said. “Defense to me is guard that and shut him down. You want to impress me, hold Joker (Jokic) under 15 points. . . . Bam plays people. He plays the two, the three, the four and the five. So I would give it to him, too.”

UNIQUE RIDE: It certainly has been a unique ride for former Heat forward P.J. Tucker since he was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in the Nov. 1 trade that also delivered James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers. Last weekend, Tucker got the start and played 25:30 in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in a game Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were given the day off. Tucker, who left the Heat in 2022 free agency, had been held out of 42 of the Clippers’ previous 45 games before seeing that action. His first point against the Bucks in that seven-point effort was his first point since Nov. 14. Asked if the assignment put him in a tough spot, Tucker, 38, said, “Tough? Finding out the morning of that you are going to start and play minutes for the first time in five months in the NBA, I don’t know, there’s got to be a better word than ‘tough,’ ” Tucker said, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

NUMBER

5. NBA players who have shared in Oscars: Stephen Curry, Shaquille O’Neal, Mike Conley, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant. Former Heat guard Dwyane Wade was up for an Academy Award last weekend for his role as executive producer of the Oscar-nominated short film, “The Barber of Little Rock,” which explored America’s racial wealth gap.