Halfway through Heat contract, Kyle Lowry in an unexpected spot. Where things stand

He arrived 18 months ago as seemingly the missing piece -- a polished, poised, pre-eminent point guard with championship pedigree and universal respect among peers.

Now, more than halfway through Kyle Lowry’s three-year contract with the Heat, it remains a mystery how this journey will precisely play out for the six-time All Star.

Months after a hamstring injury alternately limited and sidelined him during the Heat’s six-week playoff run, Lowry finds himself in unusual circumstances, a 15-point-a-game career scorer whose scoring average is a distant fifth on his own team, a player who wasn’t used at all in the fourth quarter of the past two close games, a player whose role has very much changed from his glorious nine-year run in Toronto.

Two things are happening with Lowry that have led to this unexpected predicament:

▪ He’s less involved in offensive possessions than at any time since 2007, and shooting less than anytime since 2009.

▪ His shooting percentages have dipped to 40.3 (from 44.0 last season) and to 33.6 on threes (down from 37.7).

Those two factors have created some relatively barren stat lines in recent weeks -- single digit scoring outputs in five of his past six games, including six points in the Heat’s 110-105 win against Orlando on Friday.

The onus with offensive efficiency ultimately falls on Lowry, and he knows he must be better, with the Heat turning its attention to Sunday’s game at Charlotte (1 p.m., Bally Sports Sun).

“My shots are coming differently now,” he said Thursday in a conversation with the Miami Herald. “They’re coming in different spots. I’ve got to find ways to be more effective and work on that part of my game to get my spot-up three-point shooting better and getting everything a little better in the spots where I get the ball now.”

But it’s also important to note that he’s playing off the ball more than he has done for most of his career.

In a starting lineup with four skilled ball-handlers (Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo), Lowry is sometimes cast as an off-the-ball three-point shooter.

“It’s a difference from what I’ve been doing the last number of years,” he said. “At the same time, I have to be adaptable to these guys, Tyler, Bam, Jimmy, Gabe [Vincent]. These guys are getting better and better. [Being] a guy that can affect the game without having the ball is what I have to do.

“It’s been different and a challenge I’ve been trying to work through. My numbers aren’t the same as they used to be, but it doesn’t matter as long as we win games.”

Per NBA.com, Lowry’s usage rate stands at 16.7 percent, well below his 21.3 career average. That ranks 14st among 245 players who have seen time at guard this year. It’s fourth lowest among starting point guards and below Herro’s 25.2 and backup point guard Vincent’s 17.7.

Usage rate calculates what percentage of team plays a player was involved in while he was on the floor, provided that the play ends in a field-goal attempt, free-throw attempt or turnover. On average, a player will have a usage rate of 20 percent.

By comparison, Lowry was at 21.4 usage rate his final year in Toronto and 18.2 with the Heat last season.

So it’s not a shock that his assists are down from 7.5 last season (10th in the league) to 5.4 this season (29th).

Coach Erik Spoelstra is “trying to get me with the ball a little bit more with the first unit,” Lowry said. “We have to work that stuff through. Bam is having an All NBA year. Tyler, Jimmy are having an All Star year. For me, it’s how do I affect the game without having the ball. Spo wants me to have the ball a little bit more, but there’s always a time and a place for everything.”

Lowry’s 12.4 scoring average would be his lowest since 2012-13, but he’s also taking his fewest shots per game since that season. He’s averaging 9.9 field goal attempts per game - down slightly from last year - after averaging 13.8 and 13.0 in his final two years in Toronto.

He hasn’t played in the fourth quarter of seven games, including this past week’s wins against Boston and Orlando, when Spoelstra kept Vincent on the floor instead.

Is Lowry OK with that? “I would love to always finish the game, but whatever is best for the team and helps us win is all that matters,” he said.

Asked about Lowry not playing in the fourth, Spoelstra said Friday: “The [Boston] game, the second unit really took over, and they deserved to play that out. I wouldn’t look into it more than that. Sometimes there’s recency bias, right? He had all the big plays against New Orleans down the stretch” last Sunday when he scored nine late points in a row in a Heat win.

“I have as much respect for Kyle and his pedigree in those moments over the course of his career. He’s one of the biggest clutch players in this game.”

He still does a very good job drawing charges; he was third in the league in charges drawn last season and had a team-high 11 this season.

Lowry’s name has come up in trade talks before the Feb. 9 deadline, and a deal cannot be ruled out because Miami faces a serious luxury tax crunch next season if payroll isn’t trimmed.

Lowry - who’s earning $28.3 million this season and due to make $29.7 million in the final season of his deal - said neither he nor his agent Mark Bartelstein have asked the Heat if he might be dealt.

“I’ve been in trade rumors before,” he said. “I have a very nice contract that can be moved. The organization believes in me and I’m glad to be here.

“I want to stay. I enjoy this place. I picked this place. I feel we have a chance to always compete for a title. With Jimmy, Bam, Tyler and Spo as a coach we always have an opportunity.”

Some Heat fans have complained about the low scoring totals in games. Does that bother him?

“I don’t care,” he said. “Of course, I would love to average 25, but if it doesn’t win games and doesn’t help our team overall, it doesn’t matter. I would rather get two points and help these guys win the game.”

But he also makes this clear: “I always want to do better. Individually you want to do better. But if your team is winning, you go with what it is.”

And the Heat has been winning, overcoming a 7-11 start to move to a season-high six games above .500 on Friday, at 28-22.