How Raptors, Heat, Spurs may address tactical quandaries

How does Jimmy Butler work in Miami?

Ever since the Big Three Era ended in Miami, head coach Erik Spoelstra has had his share of funky rosters. In fact, South Beach has become something of an island (or, I guess, beach) of misfit toys. Whether he's saddled with a wing who can’t shoot, a big man without a position or a guard without a classic skill set, Spoelstra finds a way to make his offense work around those players. That was good practice for the arrival of Butler.

When it comes to star players, Butler has perhaps the most weirdly effective game in the NBA. Miami’s new star guard has never been truly elite at any one action or skill. Butler’s not a pick-and-roll maestro or an isolation savant. He can shoot threes, but not great (34.7 percent in his career). He draws fouls, but he isn’t exactly James Harden. Butler is essentially just a jack-of-all trades star -- ranging from “OK” to “pretty good” at a lot of different things.

The Heat’s returning core doesn’t seem to mesh well with Butler’s funky style. Even though injuries and age have slowed him, veteran point guard Goran Dragic has made his name as a bull in transition (though Dragic appears to be slotted into coming off the Miami bench for now). Justise Winslow looked like his development was stalled until Spoelstra turned him into an oversized point guard -- a move similar to the one he made with veteran forward James Johnson.

In the front court, Kelly Olynyk and Meyers Leonard can stretch the floor, but they often operate in an ambiguous position between forward and center. Then there’s the emerging Bam Adebayo, who is just figuring how far he can spread his wings. He might be the best hope for a legitimate star alongside Butler. Spoelstra clearly has a delicate balancing act on his hands.

The good news for the Miami coach is he likely doesn’t have to be perfect to see Butler’s presence on the court net results. Miami had the league’s 26th-ranked offense last season, finishing just behind a 19-win Cleveland team. Given that Butler has a track record of making offenses better wherever he goes, Miami should be able to score.

But if Miami wants to make a real push toward the top of the East, Butler, Spoelstra and the rest of South Beach’s misfit toys must find a way to gel into something uniquely special.

Will Dejounte Murray mesh in Spurs back court?

Last season was supposed to be Murray’s breakout campaign. Then he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in the preseason and was lost for the 2018-19 season. His return to full health seems to be a reason for unbridled excitement among Spurs fans. Yet things aren’t that straightforward in San Antonio.

When they dealt Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors during the summer of 2018, the Spurs made sure they received proven veterans in return. The centerpiece of that package was four-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan. On the surface, that swap made sense. Replace an All-Star with another All-Star, and keep the great Spurs machine running toward another playoff appearance.

Underneath that superficial logic lurked warning signs about DeRozan’s impact. Per Cleaning the Glass data, the veteran guard has spent more seasons making his team’s offense worse (5) than better (4). So it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise when the Spurs finished last season nearly 4.5 points points per possession better offensively with DeRozan on the bench.

Now this is where it’s important to point out that on/off data isn’t unassailable. In the case of last season’s Spurs, the bench was an offensive powerhouse. Couple that with the fact that, as a starter, DeRozan typically faces tougher opposition and you see why such a split might be an unfair representation of his contributions.

Yet all that said, there seems to be a clear clash when it comes to how DeRozan will fare when paired with Murray, who is the team’s future; DeRozan is barely hanging on as the team’s present. Both players are best served with the ball in their hands -- each has minimal value off the ball.

If any system could hide such deficiencies, it would be San Antonio’s whirring blend of hand-offs, pick-and-rolls, cuts and rapid ball movement. But all the motion and passing in the world still might not be enough to save an ill-fated pairing. The preseason might even have flashed that warning sign already as the two games Murray played sans DeRozan were noticeably better than the three they played together.

This presents an interesting challenge for head coach Gregg Popovich. Does he play them together or apart? If he sticks with them in the same starting unit, will Popovich stick with his patented, read-based offense hoping Murray and DeRozan will organically find a productive partnership? Or will Popovich design specific plays that mitigates the two players’ shortcomings in order to keep them on the floor together? How those questions are answered won’t just affect this Spurs season, but potentially how the team feels about its core going forward.