Miami Heat: Starting lineup locks, fringe, and potential break-ins

Break-in candidates for the starting lineup

Kelly Olynyk, Andre Iguodala, Avery Bradley

The Miami Heat will most likely start Meyers Leonard at center, to eat up minutes and preserve Bam Adebayo to some extent. That being said, they have a more successful version of Leonard on the bench in Kelly Olynyk, a stretch-big who can contribute every game, rather than the every-few that Leonard shows up. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has traditionally preferred Olynyk’s fit with the second unit, but there would be ways to start him and still pair him with reserve units.

Similarly, the Heat could lean into a different skill to emphasize with their starting lineup. Their most likely choices will focus on a shooting big and a ball-handling guard. Instead, they could focus on defense. At the forward position they could start Andre Iguodala, a lockdown defender and offensive facilitator who unfortunately clogs up the spacing. At his age, the savvy veteran is likely more open to a bench role similar to what he played in Golden State.

Finally, Avery Bradley is a new signing that fills a need for the Heat, namely on-ball defense. He is one of the league’s best at locking down an opposing team’s point guard. Unfortunately, he is a poor team defender, meaning he needs a strong defensive ecosystem around him to maximize his impact. The Heat have that and could look to focus on defending the point of attack. They brought Bradley in for a reason, and potentially that could lead to a starting role.

At the end of the day, the Miami Heat will leverage one of their greatest strengths — depth — to mix-and-match starting lineups to ensure they find the rotation that works best for them. The versatility of so many of their players means the coaching staff has a plethora of combinations to choose from. Who starts as a starter is not guaranteed to end as one.