It was all in front of Omer Yurtseven in October.

There he was, in the Bahamas, at the Baha Mar resort in Nassau, routinely running first-team reps alongside Bam Adebayo on the makeshift ballroom courts during training camp.

The two even started the preseason opener side by side, each converting a 3-pointer in that exhibition.

Then an ankle injury. Then ankle surgery. Then sidelined until March 11, opportunity deferred.

And then a morsel, nominal playing time behind Adebayo, after buyout-deadline addition Cody Zeller suffered a broken nose.

Launching pad? Hardly.

Instead, something closer to last season, when the 6-foot-11 big man emerged as a supernova during the seven weeks Adebayo was sidelined by thumb surgery, only to disappear in the midst of the 2022 playoff race.

This time around, more of the same for the member of Turkey’s national team, mop-up duty or no playing time over the two weeks. Footing hardly regained.

“Definitely not expected,” Yurtseven said of again being reduced to spectator, including throughout Wednesday night’s 101-92 road loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. “Obviously I had high hopes of still coming back and contributing in a highly impactful manner. And winning-wise, always the goal.

“But it’s at this point whatever the team needs to win. And I know that’s what everybody is thinking of. And then my goal right now then becomes being in better shape every day and focusing on that, and focusing on improvement, number one, so that if my name is called, I’m able to contribute in the most meaningful manner.”

While foul trouble short-circuited one of Yurtseven’s appearances, the leash otherwise was short enough to strangle just about any of his possibilities, with defense an ongoing concern.

“There was no specific reason, no,” Yurtseven said of clarification regarding being benched even before Zeller made his Tuesday night return. “On the basketball court it’s normal to have everybody, anybody, no matter the experience, no matter how many years in the league, you’ll have a mistake or two. So I don’t think that was something that I think stood out.”

But Yurtseven said he is not looking back.

Only he is.

The Yurtseven-Adebayo pairing was so prevalent in camp that some veterans privately questioned Spoelstra investing such extensive time in the pairing that had one of the two spaced to the 3-point line.

“That was the idea, that we could be a dominant couple, inside out,” Yurtseven, 24, said. “And I would say definitely that the injury got in the way. But it’s something so out of control that I don’t know where it would have gone. But I know there was a high ceiling for it, for sure.

“Every team needs two bodies on Bam and two bodies on me to box us out. So I think we would have dominated on the boards and points in the paint, as well. So I think it would have gone a long way overall.”

The next time Yurtseven’s name becomes part of the Heat conversation well could be when he hits free agency in July.

The question becomes whether a dynamic sample size from December 2021-January 2022 will be enough of a resume to attract tangible respect in the marketplace. There was, after all, a run of at least 12 rebounds in 11 straight games, the longest such streak in franchise history, while becoming the first rookie to grab 12 rebounds in at least 11 straight games since Blake Griffin in 2010-11. In addition, during that breakout he recorded at least 16 rebounds in four consecutive games, becoming the first rookie to accomplish that since Larry Smith in 1980-81.

“This year I haven’t had a chance to show enough,” he said. “But I also think last year, that stretch shows a lot. And since then, I’ve improved, levels and levels. And all it takes is an opportunity to show what I can do.

“I always watch tape, but some of my most recent tape goes back to then, too,” he said. “I’m just watching and seeing how I was able to dominate the boards in the short span I had. That just puts me in that mindset that I have this talent, this ability. So I’m just believing in that, rather than focus on the other things that might complicate it.”

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