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Spoelstra says no need to compare Ray Allen’s closing chapter with Heat, but Klay Thompson embraces link
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- Spoelstra says no need to compare Ray Allen’s closing chapter with Heat, but Klay Thompson embraces link
MIAMI — It is a constant with Erik Spoelstra, the Miami Heat coach stressing how each season, each team, each player deserves its own story.
So, yes, the arrival of Klay Thompson arguably parallels when the Heat added Ray Allen in the 2012 offseason on the way to the 2013 championship.
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In Allen's case, it was a 37-year-old former NBA champion offering outside support for the Big Three of LeBron James , Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh .
With Thompson, it is a player who turns 37 in February with championship lineage of his own, arriving in support of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
"I haven't given it a lot of thought," Spoelstra said, with the Heat introducing Thompson on Tuesday at Kaseya Center. "I can see where people make that comparison and, I mean, that's one born out of great respect. They're two of the best and the greatest that have done it like that.
"But what I would say to that is let's let this team have its own journey and its own identity, its own story."
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Thompson (2,899) will go into the season 75 3-pointers from passing Allen (2,973) for third place on the NBA's all-time list, behind only James Harden (3,390) and former Golden State Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (4,248).
"That's in the past," Spoelstra said of the Allen narrative of an aging veteran joining the Heat and making good. "So that's a great part of our history. We're putting together this team for a new history, and we think we have the makings of something special. We'll get into the season and all the things that happen during the course of a long 82-game season to get ready for the playoffs.
"But we're just excited about the group that we have, and five weeks from now we're going to get to work at camp and create our own story. Hopefully, it ends with something spectacular."
During a recent Instagram back and forth with fans, Thompson bristled at comparisons that had him second best to Allen, noting his superior postseason contributions, with four NBA titles to Allen's two.
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But in an interview with ESPN Radio's West Palm Beach affiliate following Tuesday's Kesaya Center introduction, Thompson said he embraces the comparison.
"Of course I like those comparisons," he said. "I love Ray Allen. Are you kidding me? Him and Reggie (Miller) were like the blueprint for my whole off-ball formula. I still watch their footage all the time, and how they got open and how much they moved without the ball.
"It gives me chills that I'm even in the same sentence as Ray, because if you told me this my rookie season, I would've never believed you."
Thompson then referenced the Allen 3-pointer that sent Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals into overtime, with the Heat winning that game and then Game 7 of the series against the San Antonio Spurs .
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"I mean, Ray has one of the greatest shots, obviously, in NBA history, and I still practice that drill, the backpedal drill he did in Game 6 of 2013," Thompson said. "I love those comparisons. I'm never going to say I was better than Ray, or have I have more game than him. But to even be in the same breath as him is surreal, and it's an honor."
Allen closed his career at .400 on 3-pointers, with Thompson entering this 14th season at .409 from beyond the arc. Thompson also has the higher playoff 3-point percentage (.405 to .401).
With Allen, the attraction of the Big Three was evident. For Thompson, the possibilities of this revamped Heat roster stood particularly alluring.
"It's going to be fun just figuring out how we all fit together, what actions work well, and we can all screen for each other," Thompson said. "It's going to be great and we're all very versatile on both sides of the floor — being able to guard one through five, being able to lead a fast break.
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"It's almost limitless what we can do, and I can't wait to get the whole squad together and see what works well and define our roles."
The Heat open training camp Sept. 29.
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Just as he designed an optimal role for Allen on that 2012-13 championship team, Spoelstra sees plenty of avenues of Heat success for Thompson.
"The way he moves without the basketball, the way he's done it over his entire career, it's an offense unto itself, and that's in neon," Spoelstra said. "That's the obvious that everybody knows. But the subtle nuances and other subtleties about his future Hall of Fame career are also what really excites us about him.
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"He knows how to win. He knows how to help others. He has a great IQ for the game, and defensively, he has a pride in being a legitimate two-way basketball player.
It's almost like he's a throwback in that regard, in terms of really trying to impact the game on both sides of the floor. But his experience is immense. His resume speaks for itself."
Two at work
Heat vice president of basketball operations/assistant general manager Adam Simon has been named a camp director and Heat assistant coach Caron Butler a coach at the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Camp in Istanbul that runs Wednesday through Saturday.
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The camp features 78 top high-school-age prospects from 44 countries and territories across six continents.
Also working the camp is former Heat center Thomas Bryant , who now is with the Cleveland Cavaliers .
