Another former Heat champion weighs in on Giannis-led team

Multi-skilled players are way more important than specialists in the postseason.

Jun 22, 2018; Houston, TX, USA; 3 Headed Monsters head coach Gary Payton reacts after a play against the Ghost Ballers during the game at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Twenty years have passed since Gary Payton hit one of the biggest shots in Miami Heat history in Game 3 of the 2006 Finals, helping them win a championship, and he's still keeping it honest about them. Recently, he sat down with DJ Siddiqi of R.org and broke down how he sees the latest current events in the East. 

The Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Heat and the champion New York Knicks are the top of the East, according to the Hall-of-Famer. 

Notably, he wasn’t as convinced that Russell Westbrook would fit in Miami like former Heatle Mario Chalmers is. Payton inferred that Westbrook is not the type of player to pass it to the big man and clear out to the other side, waiting for a kick out. Still, Payton still gave him props as a penetrator, yet there was one name that he liked: DeMar DeRozan, who last played for the Sacramento Kings and will turn 37 on Aug. 7.

Playmaking and 3-point shooting are needed, but mid-range mastery is highly valuable and comes in handy during the playoffs. Shooting from the middle, with some nice post moves, is one of DeRozan’s top skills, which could provide relief scoring if lineup combinations aren’t working or key players are hurt. Consider how hard it would be to stop him, curling around a stagger screen or dribble handoff set by Bam Adebayo or Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Feb 13, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) battle for a rebound in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

On DeRozan's touch, Payton said to R.org, "Plus what you can do is that you can basically go through him like a KD, a Kevin Durant, when he was in Golden State. You could go through him and do the things that you have to, even when Giannis is not having a great game. And then, if they start doubling DeMar, kick it to Giannis, and he'll start attacking."

On top of that, DeRozan has 28,086 points logged between the regular season and playoffs. He’s going into year 18, so he’s slowed down a bit, but his impact can be preserved in a smaller role until the playoffs. 

It also helps that DeRozan became a serviceable playmaker for others, having averaged 6.2 assists in three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. Interestingly, that was a significant jump in his career under former coach Gregg Popovich, and while he hasn’t played for them since 2020-21, it’s highly likely that a mind like Erik Spoelstra can get the good left in him.

One of the downsides to DeRozan is his 3-point shooting, which might concern some since Antetokounmpo and Adebayo — the team’s two best players — are not deep shooters. One solution could be to stagger the minutes with the three of them. 

Additionally, his defense hasn’t always been potent and he’s had a collection of tough playoff games. Keep in mind that it was him plus Jakob Pöltl and a first-round pick that the Toronto Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard, and they immediately won the title. So being discarded, and folding in the playoffs has been his legacy.

Still, think of what Kyle Lowry‘s legacy would be if not for Leonard delivering a championship in 2018-19. DeRozan is a hungry veteran, and helping the Heat win one would do some polishing to his résumé, so signing him for the low is not a bad idea, especially since there should be a backup plan if they miss on LeBron James.