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Miami Heat Summer League Preview
The newest addition to Heat Culture, Nikola Jovic, went onto the court for the last day of the California Classic summer league, scoring 25 points to secure the lone win for the Miami Heat against the Golden State Warriors, 94-70, at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Miami’s No.27 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft showed real potential against the summer league team of the recent champs. However, the California Classic is only a three day warm up compared to the largest summer league that the NBA has to offer; taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the past 18 years. The Heat, with five current players on contract already for the upcoming season playing this summer, will not look to add anymore players to the current regular season roster.
However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to what happens in Vegas.
New bench additions
Over the course of the California Classic, center Orlando Robinson from Fresno State averaged 8.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.33 steals and 1.0 steals a game while shooting 55.6% from the field. His impressive performance from his three summer league games, which included a four of five shooting night against Golden State, has given him an NBA opportunity as the Miami Heat signed the rookie free agent on Thursday.
With Miami legend Udonis Haslem still not officially back on the roster and former Heat forward P.J. Tucker leaving for Philadelphia, Robinson might be the last player to join Miami in this year's offseason.
Bench guards watch
The Heat's main starting summer league guards Mychal Mulder and Javonte Smart only played five or less games last season. In Vegas, they will have the opportunity to earn more minutes for next year's regular season, especially Smart.
Smart, who scored 20 points in Miami’s regular season finale against the Orlando Magic, started the first two games of the California Classic. Despite averaging about 29 minute a game, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native performed poorly, shooting 27.3% per game in the classic.
With guards Caleb Martin and Victor Olidipo resigning with Miami this offseason, Smart looks to bounce back in Vegas to give head coach Erik Spoelstra a hard choice to deny him playing minutes.
What are we REALLY getting out of Jovic
Jovic, 19, still has a lot of questions surrounding his game. The Serbian forward averaged 11.3 points per game in the California classic and seemed to be hit or miss offensively.
Moves slowly with the ball, but appears precise with his decisions. A shooter that knocks down contested shots on the wings, a catch and shoot specialist and plays well in the post. Including a Dirk-like fadeaway in his arsenal. When he’s at his best, Jovic could be the coming of the next European superstar.
The best comparison to him would be the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets, but without the playmaking mindset. Jovic is a pure offensive threat with the potential to be so much more. Potentially, a starting power forward that can benefit current Heat center Bam Adebayo. He is a must-follow for any Heat lifer whose concerns lie solely in the team's paint work.
Playoffs 2022 rematch
The Miami Heat will face familiar foes early in this year's summer league. For the first three games, the Heat will go against the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers. All teams faced Miami in last season's playoff run.
Even though we won’t see Heat forward Jimmy Butler, we will see Jovic and company go against some potential competition for the upcoming season. Some of that competition includes Atlanta’s rookie forward AJ Griffin, Celtics rookie guard JD Davison and 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey.
Matchups like Jovic v.s Griffin and Davison v.s Smart will be interesting to see how the Heat bench pieces fare against those of their eastern opponents.
The first game for the Miami Heat in Vegas will be against the Boston Celtics at 5:30pm.
Written by: Brandon Hernandez
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