It was during a coaching clinic held a few years back in conjunction with the NBA Las Vegas Summer League when Erik Spoelstra walked to the area between the rim and the 3-point line and spoke of a potential oasis.

The message from the Miami Heat coach was that if coaches are going to cede such real estate with a nothing-at-the-rim defensive approach combined with a no-3-pointers philosophy, then such space should be considered fertile ground.

It is from that mid-range area that DeMar DeRozan has staked claim as a contender for NBA Most Valuable Player, with his Chicago Bulls playing Monday night at FTX Arena.

And it is from that area where Heat forward Jimmy Butler has thrived in his own fashion, one built as much on converting such mid-range shots as seeking contact from that staging area for trips to the foul line.

In some respects, DeRozan vs. Butler and midrange vs. midrange remains an NBA outlier. But it also can be witnessed at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, where the Heat and Bulls have been battling all season.

“Jimmy’s always been a really efficient basketball player,” Spoelstra said. “And he takes pride in making the right basketball play, depending on the coverage, depending on how they rotate and defend him.”

Entering Monday’s play, DeRozan led the league with his 2.6 conversions per game from 15 to 19 feet, and stood second only to Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant with his 2.6 conversions per game from 10 to 14 feet.

For his part, Butler entered the week leading the Heat in conversions per game from 10 to 14 feet and third in conversions from 15 to 19 feet, his numbers limited by the preference to instead absorb contact and make his way to the foul line.

“But he’s efficient, especially when he’s hitting those midrange shots,” Spoelstra said, “because he can really get to the rim and just get you in compromising positions, where it’s tough not to foul him.

“He’s not a flop guy. He’s just physical. He’s on balance. He’s efficient. He draws contact. But he also could finish with contact.”

By contrast, there is a subtle grace with DeRozan’s midrange success, even with detractors questioning the analytical value of such attempts.

“I felt like anybody who thinks like that never played basketball, never been in situational basketball moments, understanding what basketball is like, what basketball is built off,” DeRozan told NBC Sports Chicago. “Some of the greatest players won with the midrange, the in-between.

“I always felt like if you master a craft at any spot on the floor, and become dominant at it, defenses gotta react to you. Shaq didn’t shoot midrange jump shots, but he was so dominant where he was at, that’s what he was great at. And you got Steph Curry, what he’s great at, everybody can’t be a Steph Curry. Everybody can’t be a midrange dominant player. But for me, the way I just grew up idolizing the game of basketball, old-school guys.”

Defensive matrix

On the defensive end, Spoelstra said he could do a coaching clinic alone on center Bam Adebayo.

“He’s really smart defensively,” Spoelstra said. “We could do a full coaching clinic on Bam. And he’s really who makes us the most dynamic. And everybody goes to the first, obvious trigger that we’re able to switch a lot of things. But if you do have him on the weakside, he sees plays before they happen.

“He has the speed, the athleticism, and anticipation to really help, be in gaps. He covers a lot of ground. He’s like the Matrix. It feels like he’s in two, three places at once. So there’s a lot of things that he does to help your defense and it’s not just about the pick-and-roll switch.”