Miami Heat's Jae Crowder likely to make second straight start Monday against Toronto Raptors
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra remains confident in the starting lineup he began the season with.
He just plans to tinker it when he feels it gives the Heat an advantage. Spoelstra started forward Jae Crowder in place of Meyers Leonard in Saturday's 125-105 victory against the Denver Nuggets in Orlando.
Crowder joined Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson in the lineup.
"Jae had a very good camp," Spoelstra said. It's not necessarily how well you play the game, it's how well you complement other guys. Our starting lineup at the beginning of the year was one of the best lineups in the league. I haven't written that one off but for this game and likely the next two we felt like this would be the best way to go."
Spoelstra said the starting lineup will be based on matchups the remainder of the season. The Heat play the Toronto Raptors Monday.
"In the second half, there were a lot of things that were good with Jimmy, Bam and Jae, extremely disruptive defensively," Spoelstra said. "But we need everybody and our depth. Just when you think this will be the way that it's going to be, we may have to pivot based on matchups or the competition."
Butler said he is confident in both groups.
"We can switch (defensively) a lot with that group of guys that were on the floor," Butler said. "With Meyers out there, we're still a really, really good team. Coach made the call. We talked about it. Who knows what we have moving forward. Right now, that's what we're going with. I trust coach. I trust Jae. I trust Meyers."
