South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Heat likely to serve Butler, Bam various combo platters
MIAMI — The commitment this past week to Bam Adebayo was a formality, with no reason for the
Heat to wait on picking up their 2020-21 team option, even with another month left to do so.
The commitment earlier in the offseason to Jimmy Butler could not have been more emphatic, from the four-year, $140 million contract to the acquisition price of Josh Richardson, a 2023 firstround pick and the expiring contract of Hassan Whiteside.
So just over two weeks before the Heat get started at training camp, you start with Adebayo and Butler as cornerstones of Erik Spoelstra’s lineup. That part of the equation assuredly is locked in.
But then what? What about the remaining 60% of the first unit?
At first blush, it would appear to be a case of five players in a mix-andmatch competition for three spots: Kelly Olynyk, Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, Justise Winslow and James Johnson. Each started at least 20 games last season.
So how might the threeman-weave play out beyond Adebayo and Butler (assuming that it would be Tyler Herro and Derrick Jones Jr. rounding out a nine-man rotation)?
As it is, most of the potential experimentation is untested.
Olynyk-Waiters-Dragic: This essentially would be a case of picking up where the Heat left off last season, with Olynyk forging chemistry in the power rotation with Adebayo and Dragic’s presence in the first five limited only by injury.
Two factors would be at play here. First is Butler’s position.
According to Basketball-Reference, Butler played
80% of his minutes at small forward last season with the Philadelphia
76ers, but he played 79% of his minutes the previous season at shooting guard with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Going back a season, when he was cast alongside Dwyane Wade with the Chicago Bulls, Butler played 93% of his minutes at small forward.
Of course, in Spoelstra’s system (as in most NBA teams’ systems, which brings into question those percentages), the two wing positions are largely interchangeable.
Second, such an alignment comes down to whether the Heat want to put Justise Winslow on hold with that experimentation at point guard, where some of his best minutes came last season, and move a potential future franchise cornerstone back to the bench.
The three-man unit of Olynyk-Waiters-Dragic played 145 minutes together last season with a net rating of minus-15.4.
Olynyk-Waiters-Winslow: This approach would get Winslow into the starting lineup and add size to the first unit. It also would give the Heat three interchangeable defensive components on the wing.
The question is whether, by being cast as a face of the franchise, Butler will have the ball in his hands to such a degree that the benefits of Winslow’s It remains to be seen how much court time Justise Winslow, left, and Goran Dragic will share this season.
playmaking could be lost. There is also the issue of whether Dragic, other than being injured, has done anything to warrant losing a starting role.
The three-man unit of Olynyk-Waiters-Winslow played 341 minutes together last season with a net rating of plus-5.9.
Winslow-Waiters-Dragic: Or you could have both Winslow and Dragic in the starting lineup, with Dragic as more of a spotup shooting presence.
Dragic, himself, floated the idea as a means of extending his career after last season’s injury-marred struggle. The approach, however, could leave the Heat particularly undersized at a time when there still is the issue of overcoming Whiteside’s absence on the boards.
Johnson-Winslow-Dragic: This is another way of getting both Winslow and Dragic in the starting lineup while also creating a renewed opportunity for Johnson. It would, however, move Waiters to the second unit, where Herro figures to play as somewhat of a volume shooter.
Convincing Waiters the value of such a role could be the ultimate sales challenge for Spoelstra.
Johnson-Winslow-Waiters: Another possibility with Johnson starting is to move Dragic’s veteran presence to the second unit, where he could help create stability alongside Herro and Jones. But while Winslow stepped up with his 3-point shooting last season, spacing could become an issue alongside Adebayo, Butler and Johnson if Johnson is unable to to reemerge as a 3-point threat.
Johnson-Waiters-Dragic: This approach would also raise questions about size but would inject more shooting into the first unit. Beyond that, a WinslowHerro-Jones second unit could infuse youthful vitality during the dog days of the season.
Olynyk-Winslow-Dragic: With Olynyk and Winslow at forward, it would maximize the potential beef of the first unit and should help on the boards. But Olynyk would need to thrive as a floor spacer.
In the lane
Dual views: Goran Dragic, as he resumes his workouts at AmericanAirlines Arena, offered what likely is the consensus view in the Heat locker room about the offseason departures of starters Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside. “With Josh, I was a bit surprised. I was sad to see him go,” Dragic said. “But at the same time, I think he’s going to do well in Philadelphia. He’s a great player, great team player who is great around guys in the locker room. And H too, I think for H it’s good for him that he got a fresh start. I wish him all the best. We’ll see how all those two guys are going to play. I know when we’re going to play against those two guys, they’re going to go harder against us, so we have to be ready.”
Speaking of: Then there was Dragic on Bam Adebayo, speaking the day before the Heat announced picking up the 2020-21 option on the third-year center. “First off, he’s going to get more minutes, more exposure. He already got tested and we know what he can do,” Dragic said. “He’s a great player, great screener. He brings a lot of energy to the team and I feel like this year is going to be different — more minutes, more responsibility. Everybody feels like, including me, that he’s ready for this big step in his career.”
Speaking of too: As for Whiteside having moved on to the Trail Blazers, the former Heat center has been effusive about his relocation. “I think you guys will really enjoy the blocks, the dunks, the rebounds, me flexing,” he said in an interview with NBCSports Northwest. “As far as the team, I definitely want to increase on the record from last year. This is potentially the best team I’ve ever played on talent-wise, and it’s not many times you get a real shot at winning the championship” Whiteside said.
No beef: Don’t expect fireworks when the Heat face the Detroit Pistons this season, at least when it comes to Heat offseason acquisition Jimmy Butler and Pistons offseason pickup Derrick Rose. In his just released autobiography “I’ll Show You,” Rose disputed the notion of being at odds as Chicago Bulls teammates in 2015-16. “I always was cool with Jimmy, no matter what they were saying in the media,” Rose wrote. “I was always cool with all my teammates. That’s what it is having teammates. I never had a problem with Jimmy. No confrontation, no argument or anything. In fact, when Jimmy had his trade stuff come up in Minnesota, he was confiding in me and I was counseling him, understanding what he was going through, how it wasn’t right.”
Waiting game: As the clock continues to tick toward Bradley Beal‘s deadline for accepting his Washington Wizards contract extension, Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard continues to play defense, aware that potential suitors, such as the Heat, would love for Beal to be available in 2021 free agency.
Big number
Butler’s ranking among players in the Eastern Conference by Sports Illustrated, based on his No. 11 overall SI rank in the NBA. The only East players listed ahead of Butler are Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 1) and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (No. 7).