Summer league can already be labeled as a success for the Miami Heat.
From Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s productive two-game run in Las Vegas, Kel’el Ware’s dominance, the emergence of Keshad Johnson, the impressive point guard play of Isaiah Stevens, Josh Christopher’s explosive scoring, Alondes Williams’ memorable dunk, Cole Swider’s quality three-point shooting, to Pelle Larsson filling in the gaps, this year’s summer league has been full of encouraging moments that have resulted in a 5-1 overall record and a 3-0 record in Las Vegas for the Heat.
The Heat enters Thursday as one of just five teams with a 3-0 record in the 30-team Las Vegas Summer League, but stands at the top of the standings because it holds the best point differential. The top four teams after the first four games in Las Vegas advance to the knockout semifinal round, with the Heat set to play its fourth Las Vegas Summer League game Friday against the Toronto Raptors (9 p.m., ESPN+/ESPN3).
Dru Smith ‘very appreciative’ of confidence that Heat continues to have in him
“I don’t know if I can take any credit for that,” Heat summer league head coach Dan Bisaccio said of the team’s success. “I think the front office has done a phenomenal job of bringing these guys in, finding the talent, finding the guys that are willing to have that competitive edge, the Heat DNA. So I give them a lot of credit.”
One of the most important and heartening Heat developments in summer league has to do with Ware.
Ware, who was selected by the Heat with the No. 15 overall pick in the first round of this year’s draft, has stood out as one of the best big men competing in this year’s summer league. The 7-foot center has averaged 18 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 57.6 percent from the field and 2 of 10 (20 percent) on threes during his first five summer league appearances.
Ware turned in one of his best performances of summer league in Wednesday’s 92-79 win over the Dallas Mavericks, totaling 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 31 minutes. He was a force on both sides of the court, throwing down six dunks on offense and protecting the rim on defense.
“I feel like my performance today was good,” Ware said after Wednesday’s victory. “I feel like I impacted it on both ends. But each game, I’m going to go in and improve more and more. So I feel like I’m doing that.”
Ware, 20, has recorded two straight double-doubles and three total double-doubles in his first five summer league games.
“Kel’el did a heck of a job,” Bisaccio said after Ware’s latest double-double on Wednesday. “We continue to challenge him defensively. He took that challenge. Everything at the rim was contested. We want to continue to see that. Obviously, this is never enough. But we’re really, really happy with him anchoring our defense today.”
For the Heat, the most important thing is that Ware’s play has resulted in wins.
“It’s not just about me,” said Ware, who the Heat believes has the potential to become a three-and-D center. “I’m happy the whole team is winning. We’re 3-0 right now [in Las Vegas].”
KESHAD’S ANKLE
Johnson’s impressive summer league is currently on pause, with his status for the rest of the summer circuit now up in the air.
That’s because Johnson was forced to leave Wednesday’s win against the Mavericks early after turning his left ankle while trying to block a shot late in the third quarter. Johnson walked off the court under his own power with a slight limp, but did not return to the contest.
“We’re not 100 percent yet,” Bisaccio said when asked about Johnson’s ankle injury immediately following Wednesday’s game. “We’re still going to continue to look at it. I know our trainers are evaluating it right now. I believe he told me he’s good to go whenever. He said he could play in a couple hours. But we’re going to have to evaluate ourselves before we do that.”
The Heat has at least two summer league games left in Las Vegas, beginning Friday against the Raptors. If the Heat advances to the championship game in Las Vegas Summer League, it would have three games left.
“Ankle is good. Still got adrenaline going right now,” Johnson said Wednesday. “Just a little sprain. It happens with the game of basketball and everything. Take it day by day, get as much treatment as possible and get ready.”
Johnson, who went undrafted out of Arizona this year, has been one of the top performers on Miami’s summer squad. The Heat already has signed Johnson to a two-way deal, which protects him from being signed by another team.
“You don’t worry about it,” Johnson said when asked how he balances his all-out playing style with trying not to hurt himself during summer league. “When you go out there and you roll the ball out, you just try to hoop, do whatever it takes to win. You don’t worry about preserving your body or anything like that. I’m as gritty as it gets. So I don’t really worry about it.”
BAM’S BIG DAY
Heat center Bam Adebayo is playing off the bench for Team USA, but he’s still on track to play an important role.
During the first three games of the national team’s five-game exhibition schedule ahead of the Olympics in Paris, Adebayo has averaged 11 points and 5.7 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game off the bench.
Adebayo’s best exhibition performance yet came in Wednesday’s 105-79 blowout win over Serbia, recording 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes for Team USA. He posted a team-best plus/minus of plus 22 in the victory.
Adebayo also showed off his improved three-point shot, making three of his five three-point attempts in the game.
“I made the first one, so I kept shooting,” said Adebayo, who turned 27 on Thursday.
Team USA has paired Adebayo with Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis in the second unit to form a frontcourt that has proven to be very effective so far, especially on defesnse.
“Bam and AD together are really something,” Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said. “Just the switching, but they can also protect the rim and be in a drop if we go to that coverage.”
Team USA’s next exhibition game comes against South Sudan on Saturday in London. Team USA opens the Olympics in France on July 28 against Serbia.
▪ Friday night’s Heat summer league game against the Raptors will also be streamed live on Bally’s app. In addition, Bally Sports Sun has received permission to televise the game on a four-hour delay at 1 a.m. Saturday.
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