The Miami Heat began summer league play with a 92-76 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Orlando on the 4th of July.
It was the first time the team took an NBA court in an actual game since mid-April in the 82nd and final game of the regular season. While the majority of these players on the Heat’s summer league roster weren’t on the 15-man roster back in April, some of them were—guys like Tyler Johnson, Henry Walker, James Ennis, Shabazz Napier and Zoran Dragic were all members of Miami’s regular season roster.
Along with the veterans, there are two of the Heat’s rookie draft picks that are participating in this year’s summer league, Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson.
Miami will participate in the six-day Orlando Summer League before beginning play in the Las Vegas Summer League from July 10 until July 20.
Though the league standings won’t mean anything when it is all said and done, here are 10 reasons why Heat fans should watch this year’s summer league.
1. First Glimpses of Justise Winslow
The No. 10 overall pick made his professional debut versus the Pacers and was nothing short of solid as he scored 15 points while showing off his versatility by playing all four positions. He led all Heat players in scoring for the game.
Miami’s summer league head coach, Dan Craig, heaped praise upon the 19-year-old following the game:
“He was locked in, and I thought he did a great job communicating with his teammates for a guy coming into his first game.”
While Winslow struggled with his shot in his second game, going 3-for-10 versus the Brooklyn Nets, he still showed off his ability to draw contact, as he went to the free-throw line 12 times.
There will be ups-and-downs for the first-round draft pick, but that’s why it’ll be exciting to watch the small forward’s development over the next two weeks.
Next: Plethora of Experienced Players
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2. Plethora of Experienced Players
As mentioned earlier, the Heat have five experienced players that will be playing in this year’s summer league.
Normally, you only get undrafted free agents and fringe players in summer league. However, in Miami’s case, you’re getting four guys who played key roles in the team’s rotation last season.
All five players are not only playing in summer league to get better, but they’re participating to show the Heat organization they can continue to be contributors for the team during the 2015-16 season.
Next: Development of Josh Richardson
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3. Development of Josh Richardson
While all of the focus is understandably on Winslow, many people are sleeping on the Heat’s second-round draft pick, Richardson.
The 6’6″ shooting guard was selected with the 40th overall pick. Expectations are low because he was a late pick—if he even makes it to the 15-man roster on opening day, that will be considered a success for the University of Tennessee product.
Through two games in summer league, Richardson is averaging eight points, three steals and two blocks in 23 minutes per contest.
In his first game versus the Pacers, the young guard went 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. He commented on his effort during the postgame:
“I play hard every possession. I think I can bring something to this team.”
If he can bring something to the Heat during the regular season, Pat Riley will have struck gold with his decision to select Richardson in the second round.
Next: Potential Breakouts
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4. Potential Breakouts
Last year in summer league, the Heat had two players on their roster that no one in South Florida had heard of in Ennis and Johnson.
Both players would end up on Miami’s roster during the 2014-15 season as key role players. While Ennis made the opening day roster, Johnson was called up to the active roster from the Heat’s D-League affiliate in January of 2015.
Ennis averaged five points while playing 17 minutes per game in 62 appearances while Johnson averaged 5.9 points in 32 games played.
Unknowns like center Willie Reed could end up emerging as players who end up on the team’s regular season roster. Reed has been a bright spot through the first two games, as he’s averaging 12 points on 64 percent shooting with 1.5 blocks per contest.
Next: No Basketball for Three More Months
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5. No Basketball for Three More Months
Would you really rather watch baseball, Heat Nation?
After summer league concludes for good this year in late July, there won’t be any basketball until the preseason stars in October. That is nearly three months without NBA basketball.
Enjoy it while you can.
Next: Big Signings Are Over for the Heat
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6. Big Signings Are Over for the Heat
The drama is over—Dwyane Wade is back with Miami. So is Goran Dragic and Luol Deng.
Now that that is out of the way, the only storylines left to watch for Heat fans are bargain signings and potential trade rumors involving Mario Chalmers, Josh McRoberts and Chris Andersen.
So since we know what the Heat’s starting lineup will look like in 2015-16, we might as well watch for young bucks who could end up being the next Johnson and Ennis for the upcoming season.
Coach Erik Spoelstra spoke of the desire to find a gem in this year’s class:
“Let’s see if we can uncover somebody like Tyler Johnson. We thought he would just be a filler, and that’s no disrespect to him, but he emerged…We’re always open to finding someone like that.”
Next: NBA Rookies Across the League
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7. NBA Rookies Across the League
It’s not just Winslow and Richardson that are participating in summer leagues. Top draft picks like Stanley Johnson of the Detroit Pistons, Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers and Frank Kaminsky of the Charlotte Hornets are all involved in the Orlando Summer League.
Whereas before you only saw undrafted free agents trying to showcase their talents to NBA coaches in summer league, you’re now seeing a wide variety of different classes of players.
Next: What Does Zoran Dragic Really Have?
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8. What Does Zoran Dragic Really Have?
Dragic was acquired in February at the trade deadline along with his brother Goran from the Phoenix Suns. While Goran clearly became the team’s second offensive option during the last half of the season, Zoran remained on the bench.
Zoran played 62 total minutes in nine appearances for the Heat. 41 of those minutes were played in the season finale in which the 26-year-old shooting guard started. He scored 22 points, went 9-of-17 from the field, and showed off his three-point shooting stroke going 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
In the Heat’s summer league win over the Nets, the younger Dragic hit a couple of three-point shots en route to nine points on the game.
It’s clear from his limited minutes that the 26-year-old guard has more of a shooting stroke than his elder brother, Goran.
However, beyond 62 minutes of playing time in the regular season and a couple appearances in summer league, not much is known about the younger Dragic.
Now is the time to find out.
Next: Has Shabazz Napier Recovered After Sports Hernia Surgery?
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9. Has Shabazz Napier Recovered After Sports Hernia Surgery?
Napier was ruled out for the last two weeks of the regular season after undergoing sports hernia surgery at the beginning of April.
Before his season-ending injury, the former first-round draft pick averaged 5.1 points and 2.5 assists in 51 appearances. He even started 10 games during his rookie season.
However, the 23-year-old point guard had many growing pains as he was demoted to the D-League on a couple of occasions.
Summer league was supposed to be the time for Napier to show that he’s healthy and improved, but the sports hernia injury is still limiting the young guard. He did not play in the first two summer league games.
Napier should play a pivotal role off the bench for the Heat next season, so his health and improvement during the summer will be worth watching.
Next: Every Game Will Be Broadcast on TV
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10. Every Game Will Be Broadcast on TV
It’s the summer, guys. It’s essentially the offseason for sports fans, which means that every summer league game will be broadcast on NBA TV.
Whether it’s a live game or a replay, you’ll have an opportunity to watch every Heat summer league game. You can tune in to watch veterans like Ennis and Johnson or guys you’ve never heard of like Seth Tuttle and Travis Trice.
There is no better way to cap off a great offseason for the Heat by sitting back and watching the future of the franchise.
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