Has the Heat found a starting lineup that’ll stick? What Kelly Olynyk adds and why he fits
The Miami Heat’s starting frontcourt duo of Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk was very effective during Monday’s blowout win over the Thunder. But that’s just one game.
It’s actually the 2,190 minutes that Adebayo and Olynyk have played together in their previous three seasons as Heat teammates that provides the most telling indication the pairing could be a long-term solution this season.
With coach Erik Spoelstra rotating through various starting frontcourt options alongside Adebayo (6-9, 255) to start six different lineups in the first six games of the season, Olynyk (6-11, 240) got his turn Monday. The results were positive, as the starting lineup of Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, Adebayo and Olynyk finished the Heat’s victory over the Thunder with a plus/minus of plus-9 in 20 minutes together.
“I think they’re both just very versatile, especially on the offensive end,” Herro said of the Adebayo and Olynyk tandem, with the Heat set to host the Boston Celtics on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., ESPN and Fox Sports Sun) in an Eastern Conference finals rematch. “I think they bring different things. KO can stretch the floor, but he can also do the hand-off game, really just everything with the whole arsenal. Obviously, everybody knows what Bam brings. Those guys next to each other in the starting lineup, I thought it looked pretty good. But, obviously, coach makes those decisions and adjustments as the season goes. But I felt like it looked pretty good offensively.”
Adebayo (20 points, eight rebounds and four assists) and Olynyk (19 points and eight rebounds) combined for 39 points on 16 of 19 (84.2 percent) shooting, 16 rebounds and five assists on Monday. Miami outscored Oklahoma City 51-42, as the Heat shot 55.9 percent from the field and 7 of 15 on threes with the help of 13 assists on 19 made baskets in the 20 minutes Adebayo and Olynyk played together.
“Kelly is one of those guys who is always in the right spot and always does what he’s supposed to do,” Adebayo said. “When he’s in the right spot, it makes it easier for me, getting him triggers and handoffs for behind-the-screen threes. Him spacing the floor, being able to be mobile. One thing I like about Kelly is he’s always talking. We need that. So, we feed off of each other.”
But Monday is just the most recent example of how well Adebayo and Olynyk’s games complement each other.
This frontcourt pairing has produced positive results since they became Heat teammates in 2017, with Adebayo and Olynyk posting a quality plus/minus of plus-226 in 2,190 minutes together (including the playoffs) over the past three seasons. They are already a plus-21 in 76 minutes together this season.
“I think Bam is just so dynamic,” Olynyk said of why he fits alongside Adebayo. “He can get to the rim, lob threat. He can really move, pass, handle the ball. He opens a lot of things up for a lot of people. Then the way I complement him is being able to stretch the floor and shoot. He can come on dribble handoffs, I can go to the weak-side action. It’s just a really good fit, I think. Part of it is just having that chemistry. This is our fourth year now together. A lot of those years, we’ve played together whether it’s a game or practice. We just kind of have that chemistry together, that feel and I think that goes a long way.”
Olynyk’s skill set as a big man who can space the floor but also create for himself and others off the dribble works well alongside Adebayo, who scores most of his points in the paint and just recently incorporated a reliable midrange shot in his offensive tool box.
Olynyk was an effective floor spacer on Monday, making five of his seven threes against the Thunder.
“He’s a great catch-and-shoot guy,” Butler said of Olynyk. “But his decision-making, people sleep on that. He can put the ball on the floor, finish at the cup, throw a lob, dribble handoff. He’s very intelligent and smart. We trust him with the ball in his hands, as well.”
Moe Harkless, Meyers Leonard and Andre Iguodala have all already had opportunities to start alongside Adebayo early in the season before Olynyk got his chance in the Heat’s sixth game. In a limited sample size, Harkless and Adebayo are a minus-34 in 38 minutes together, Leonard and Adebayo are a minus-7 in 16 minutes together, and Iguodala and Adebayo are a plus-5 in 58 minutes together this season.
The Heat’s core starting four — Herro, Butler, Robinson and Adebayo — worked well with Olynyk as the fifth starter on Monday, especially offensively.
The question comes on the defensive end, where Olynyk does not bring as much versatility as other frontcourt options who can switch more actions like Harkless and Iguodala. But Olynyk’s offensive ability has outweighed any defensive shortcomings during his 2,000-plus minutes playing with Adebayo in the past three seasons.
A lineup featuring Herro, Robinson and Olynyk gives opposing offenses three options it can hunt in isolation, though. The Heat allowed 117.5 points per 100 possessions in the 50 minutes that trio played together in the playoffs last season, a defensive rating that would have ranked last in the NBA in the regular season.
Whether or not the Herro-Butler-Robinson-Adebayo-Olynyk combination can hold up defensively will likely determine whether it can be a long-term lineup option this season.
“I think defensively we have to make sure that we’re in the right spots all the time,” Olynyk said. “Then offensively, we have to move the ball and make sure Jimmy is getting to a lot of actions and triggers, making a lot of plays for us. As well as Bam. Then me, Tyler and Duncan are spacing the floor and letting them do their thing.”
The importance of a starting lineup can be overstated, but finding some consistency with the starting group will help stabilize the rest of the Heat’s rotation.
“We’ll find some continuity,” Spoelstra said. “We’re already starting to find some stability and consistency with the majority of our rotation.”
None of this necessarily means that Olynyk is locked into the Heat’s starting lineup for the next few games. Adebayo isn’t even sure if Olynyk will be part of the starting group Wednesday against the Celtics.
“We might have a different starting lineup [Wednesday]. I don’t know, I’m not sure,” Adebayo said. “One thing I like about Spo is he’s very open to trying whatever lineup. ... He’s willing to do anything to make sure it clicks. So I don’t know what the starting lineup is going to be [Wednesday]. The one [Monday] worked, but we’re going to figure it out.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 11:44 AM.
