WHO WILL BE JIMMY BUTLER’S SCORING PARTNER?

The Miami Heat had a bit part in the NBA’s craziest off-season to date when they aggressively went for Jimmy Butler this past summer. The team’s front-office traded two starters and multiple draft picks to get the All-Star, who has had locker room turmoil follow him during his stints with the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Philadelphia 76ers.

Such is part of the past, though, and the much bigger question for the Heat is offense – Dwyane Wade is retired, while Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside, two former key sources of their points, were both part of the deals that helped Butler come to Miami.

Butler can get numbers night in and night out, but that alone wouldn’t even be close to bring the Heat to an eighth-seed… even in the Eastern Conference.

The candidates for being the number two man in Miami is led by Goran Dragic. The Slovenian has been a reliable floor general for the Heat since his arrival in early 2015 – 16.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.4 APG in five seasons with the team.

Following “The Dragon” is the big-bodied forward, Justise Winslow, the Heat’s lottery pick from 2015. Winslow had a good run at certain parts of last season, which included stretches where he ran the point guard position. He averaged 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in the 2018-19 campaign.

CAN THE SPURS RETURN TO THEIR ELITE FORM?

After 18-straight years of 50 or more wins, the San Antonio Spurs have failed to crack the plateau in the last two seasons.

Hope isn’t lost within the Spurs nation, though. Future Hall-of-Fame coach Gregg Popovich is still there, armed with his ever-brilliant coaching mind and a mixture of veterans and up-and-coming youngsters.

The veterans will be headed by All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, and he will continue to be the paint presence on offense and defense. The 13-year vet could be visiting Tim Duncan’s fountain of youth, as he has back-to-back 20+ PPG seasons. Aldridge’s co-All-Star, swingman DeMar DeRozan, is another leader of the pack. DeRozan continued his scoring ways in his first year as a Spur last season, chipping in 21.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per contest.

Over at the youngsters’ side, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker, and the returning Dejounte Murray (torn ACL) are the most anticipated. The 2019 playoffs saw White give a good preview of what he brings to the table. He emerged as the team’s third scorer in the series against the Denver Nuggets, highlighted by the Game 3 performance where scored a team-high 36 points on 15-of-21 shooting, all while holding Jamal Murray to six points.

WHO COMES OUT ON TOP?

The Heat will be treating their crowd to a win. It’s a team that had some roster shake-up and the new guys will be eager to show-off their arsenal. Rookie Tyler Herro, arguably the best shooter in the last draft, should be able to get several shots up early. They’ll ran plays off his quick-trigger tendencies.

Lonnie Walker, the seldom-used second-year guard, is the player to watch out for on the Spurs. He had a big Summer League showing as he exploded for 30 PPG on 55-pecent shooting.