MIAMI -- After enduring 11 months of instability and controversy, Luol Deng hopes to finally close in on something over the final weeks of 2014 that has evaded him all year: comfort.

"It's been a tough process," Deng said. "But I'm not panicking or dropping my head or anything."

As Deng nears the end of a succession of turbulent transitions the past 10 months, he's encouraged by the opportunities ahead as he settles into his latest job as the Miami Heat's starting small forward. It's a role better known as being the guy occupying the position held the past four seasons by LeBron James.

Some might buckle under the weight of those expectations.

But just when the load seems a bit overwhelming for Deng, he responds with a breakthrough performance that serves as a reminder of just what the Heat envisioned when they made the 11-year veteran a top target in free agency amid LeBron's departure last summer.

Deng has been a microcosm of Miami's up-and-down start to the season, but looks to build on one of his best performances when the Heat (8-6) face Golden State (10-2) Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

In his third game back from a wrist injury, Deng finished with a team-high 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting along with eight rebounds, three assists and a block in 38 minutes during Sunday's 94-93 win against the Charlotte Hornets. But sustaining that level of play over consecutive games has been problematic for Deng.

He's not being asked to be LeBron, the four-time league MVP who guided the Heat to four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and to two championships. But Deng is tasked with being a stabilizing force, needing to again prove he's among the NBA's best two-way perimeter players.

But much like the Heat, Deng is essentially in rebuilding mode again.

A combination of nagging injuries, constant rotation changes due to injuries among other players and early difficulties adjusting to his third team this calendar year have made it far from a seamless process. It has led to an uneven start for Deng, who is shooting at or near career-high levels from the field (50.3 percent) and 3-point range (39.0 percent), but is averaging at or near career lows in points (14.7), rebounds (4.7) and assists (1.5) through 13 games this season.

It has been 11 years since Deng opened a season as the new guy who had to find his way. But in Miami, he is one of as many as six newcomers being worked into a rotation that returned anchors in Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade but has also shifted the roles of several other holdovers.

It's created an environment where everyone is a work in progress. And that includes Wade, who has missed the past six games with a hamstring injury and could also sit out Tuesday against the Warriors.

"All of us are going through different processes," Deng said. "There are some things I knew to expect, starting the season with a team that's new to me. I was part of a place where I was familiar, so I didn't think much. There are times now I find myself out there thinking too much. Over the long run, I think it will go away as guys get used to me and I get used to the guys. I can then just play off instincts."

Deng vows to maintain patience and big-picture perspective through the balancing act. With a two-year, $20 million deal in Miami from a team that has admired his play from a distance for a decade, Deng can rely on at least some semblance of stability he lacked before he arrived.

There was distrust in Chicago.

The Bulls and Deng lost confidence they could agree on a contract extension after he spent his first nine seasons with the team. Reports had also surfaced that detailed tension between Deng and the Bulls medical staff over his injury treatment and recovery.

Then there was dysfunction in Cleveland.

Deng was traded to the Cavaliers in January from Chicago and stumbled from the outset because of a lingering Achilles injury. Cleveland was also beset by reports of locker room turmoil among players on the way to a fourth consecutive losing season. Coach Mike Brown was fired for a second time, and Deng departed as an unrestricted free agent after the season as the team cleared the way for LeBron's return.

And there was even disaster in Atlanta.

As Deng was being courted by teams in free agency, the Hawks emerged as a potential suitor. But after Deng signed with the Heat, he was the subject of a controversy in Atlanta for racially insensitive comments made by then-general manager Danny Ferry in a conference call with front office staffers. Ferry has been on leave from the team since the recording surfaced in August amid an internal investigation that also centered on an inflammatory email sent by Hawks owner Bruce Levenson.

Those episodes along the way make Deng's initial discomfort in Miami seem minimal.

"We're all here. We're all hard workers, and we believe we'll get there," Deng said of the Heat's collective quest for cohesion. "It's all about patience. There will be progress. I think everyone in the locker room believes in what we can be. There is going to be ups and downs, but it's just about everyone coming in and working every day."

Right now, Deng and the Heat are in a modest upswing. They've won consecutive games over Orlando and Charlotte and are looking for their first three-game win streak since opening the season 3-0. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has already used five different lineups, and the rotation could take another hit if reserve center Chris Andersen is forced to miss more time with an ankle injury he suffered Sunday.

Sunday marked the first time in seven games they entered the fourth quarter behind and won. The collective effort Deng frequently harps upon during media interviews has seen guard Mario Chalmers average 20 points and seven assists during the six games Wade has missed.

Bosh is also leading the NBA in 20-point games, with 11 entering Tuesday. And rookie Shabazz Napier is making the most of the extended minutes he has seen recently by averaging 12.8 points over the past five games. The downs, however, include a trend in which the Heat seem to suffer an unsettling-to-downright-embarrassing home loss at least once each week.

Last week, the Los Angeles Clippers jumped out to a 20-point lead and cruised to a win. The week before that, it was the injury-depleted Indiana Pacers who pounded Miami on the boards in a stunning victory.

"That's why defense is so important -- offense is going to take some time," Bosh said after the Heat rallied for Sunday's win. "We haven't had many close games down the stretch. We've been down at home, and to get out of that situation you're going to have to face it. Our guys did a really good job of putting things in the past and focusing on the possessions that we had. It worked out for us. We really took a step forward as far as having that mental stability we always talk about having."

Ask Spoelstra about personnel -- or the lack thereof any given night -- and he answers with talk of perseverance.

"It's more about the resolve and mental toughness you build as a team," Spoelstra said. "Regardless of who's out there, are you playing consistently to your identity? Are we defending and sharing the ball?"

Deng benefited from that sharing in his last game. He missed his first shot against the Hornets, but then made his next eight attempts to score 19 of his 26 points in the first half. He stretched the floor with his 3-point shooting. He sliced his way toward the basket to score in the paint. He defended and rebounded on the other end.

It has taken a while, but it was a hint of what Deng can offer when he's in a familiar and comfortable role.

"I got a rhythm," Deng said. "We did a good job of moving the ball. It is really about being patient. There are going to be games where it doesn't look great or you don't get the looks you want and then there will be games that you do. It really is about sticking with it and trying to find that consistency."

Eventually, that consistency leads to confidence.

And, ultimately, that confidence provides the comfort Deng has lacked almost all year.