Could Olynyk start alongside Whiteside for good?

NBA coaches utilize the preseason not so much to win, but to try out different lineups in game scenarios that don’t have the weight of a March regular season game with playoff implications.

Saturday against the Orlando Magic, Erik Spoelstra tried out something my colleague Matt Pineda predicted he would: start Kelly Olynyk with Hassan Whiteside.

Miami’s starting lineup for the first two preseason games — Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, Rodney McGruder, James Johnson and Whiteside — was nothing special thus far. For what it’s worth, this lineup out-scored teams by 29 points last season in 54 minutes.

Starting Olynyk would accomplish what Spoelstra did last season with Luke Babbitt as a starter — have a stretch 4 to give Whiteside space and employ Johnson as a point-forward off the bench when Dragic goes to the bench.

Last night, Whiteside finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds while Olynyk shot just 1-for-7. Even though Spoelstra said he was “comfortable” starting Olynyk with Whiteside, he will continue to monitor which lineups work best. And of course, a potential downfall to starting Olynyk instead of a versatile defender like Johnson is giving away points at the start of the game if the opposing team exploits that match-up.

Will the Heat start two 7-footers this year? Time will tell.