Kyle Lowry’s ability to orchestrate without dominating a key to Heat’s new loaded lineup

From the perspective of Erik Spoelstra, the Miami Heat are blessed with a dominant point guard who doesn’t have to dominate the ball.

That may never be more true with Kyle Lowry than this season, now that the Heat also are expected to feature Tyler Herro in their starting lineup alongside Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.

That’s three playmaking facilitators beyond Lowry.

So with all of that having been in the pipeline and apparently now in the starting lineup heading into Wednesday night’s season opener against the Chicago Bulls at FTX Arena, why exactly was there the need for Lowry at the cost of Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa (not to mention a three-year, $85 million free-agent contract) a year ago?

For precisely, Spoelstra said, moments such as this, with Lowry able to control again without dominating the ball.

“I think that’s an important aspect of Kyle, and his genius, as a basketball player,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat continuing their week of practices at FTX Arena.

“Particularly now, point guards coming into the league, they’re very ball dominant, and that’s not a criticism. That’s how the game has gone, that point guards are learning how to control the game and dictate the game with the ball in their hands, making the decisions, pick-and-rolls over and over and over.”

Lowry, by contrast, came into the NBA in 2006, has played alongside his share of ball dominant guards and teammates.

“Kyle has proven over the course of his career he can be that ball-dominant guard, and get everybody organized,” Spoelstra said. “Or he can literally play extensive minutes off the ball, and still be really effective.”

Spoelstra cited the Raptors’ 2019 NBA title as an example.

“That championship year with Toronto, he was almost a two-guard, because that’s what he probably sensed and felt, and their coaching staff, that other guys need the ball in their hands,” Spoelstra said of Lowry stepping aide to allow Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and others to flourish with the Raptors.

“And he easily shifted. And I think that just puts a great luxury. And he also has that innate feel for when he needs to be on the ball or when he can feel like, ‘Alright, these guys need to play and they need to feel comfortable,’ or, ‘I need to get the ball here.’ "

Even last season, when solid play during the regular season was compromised only by time away from the team due to a family matter, Lowry closed 10th on the roster in usage rate, the percentage of a team’s plays used by a player when he is on the floor. Last season, Lowry’s usage rate was 18.2, compared to 27.8 by Herro, 26.0 by Butler, 24.8 by Adebayo.

As a matter of comparison among NBA point guards, the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young was at 34.4, Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant at 33.1 and Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry at 32.0.

Spoelstra has confidence in Lowry, 36, determining when to defer and when to dominate.

“And I think that will be important, because we have a lot of firepower, we have a lot of versatility that we can go to,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat apparently removing the more passive catch-and-shoot elements of Max Strus or Duncan Robinson from their starting equation (both with lower usage rates last season than Lowry).

Considering there only was a single game during the preseason when Lowry, Herro, Butler, Adebayo and Caleb Martin — the presumptive opening-night starting lineup — took the opening tip as a unit, a learning curve remains in place.

But to Spoelstra there is no better instructor to set the table and spread the opportunities than the player he calls QB1, also with faith in his players to know when to allow QB1 to run the show.

“Of course, like any good player in this league, they’re going to feel more comfortable when the ball is in their hands,” Spoelstra said of his other starters. “And this team, as we move forward, I challenge them to get more comfortable and more efficient and more effective and find different ways to impact the offense when the ball’s not in their hands.”