Miami Heat Rumors
Get a free trial One of the only notable moves of the offseason for the Heat this year was drafting big man Kel’el Ware out of Indiana in the first round of the draft, and recently, Ware shared a story where he wasn’t afraid to ask Riley about his portrayal on the recent HBO series “Winning Time,” which discussed his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. “I can’t remember word for word but yeah, he didn’t like it, nah, he didn’t like it,” said Ware, via The OG’s Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller.
Sports Summer league was already almost over and Pelle Larsson was still searching for his rhythm on the court. But apparently all the Miami Heat’s second-round pick needed was a message from retired Heat icon Udonis Haslem. When Haslem addressed the Heat’s summer league team at its Las Vegas hotel on July 16, Larsson said “it really hit home with me.” “He was just saying, ‘Be the guy that they drafted you to be,’” Larsson recalled. “I’m not going to come in and be a star player for the team. So I might have two minutes. In those two minutes I’m on the court, I got to play my [butt] off and defend and rebound. That might be all I get to do, even if I don’t get a shot. I’m just locking into that mentality and just being a dog defensively and using my body to my limits because that’s probably what I’m going to get to do when I get to the real team.”
Prior to Haslem’s speech to the Heat’s summer squad, Larsson was underwhelming with 7.5 points, four rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 35.5 percent from the field and 2 of 10 (20 percent) from three-point range in his first four appearances during summer league. After Haslem’s words, Larsson played like one of the Heat summer league team’s best players. He averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 6 of 13 (46.2 percent) on threes during his final four appearances, including his game-winning push shot in overtime of Monday’s Las Vegas Summer League championship contest.
That’s not a role one would expect for Larsson after he shot an eye-opening 47 of 110 (42.7 percent) from three-point range as a senior at Arizona last season. But Larsson (6-6, 215 pounds) and the Heat believe he’s more than just a three-point shooter. Other areas of Larsson’s game were on display during summer league, as he racked up 28 assists to 16 turnovers. He also contributed 12 steals and drew multiple charges in his eight summer league appearances. “I think it could be a misconception if you just look at the stats and you see 40 percent from three,” said Larsson, who was selected by the Heat with the 44th overall pick in the second round of last month’s draft. “But if you actually watch film and look into the games, you can see that being a well-rounded defender on and off the ball is kind of my strength and just playing within the team. By playing within the team and playing with good players, they’re going to find you for open shots and you’re going to get advantages just from that.”
Jorge Sierra: Biggest share of minutes given to drafted players in the 21st century: 29. Miami: 27.36% 28. New York: 27.63% 21. LA Lakers: 36.75% 5. Boston: 48.68% Would you guess the Top 3? hoopshype.com/lists/ranking-…
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Josh Christopher awaits decision from Heat on a two-way deal
Barry Jackson: Josh Christopher, a former 24th overall draft pick, wins Las Vegas Summer League championship MVP. Now awaits decision from Heat on a 2-way deal. Heat has Keshad Johnson (who’s safe), Zyon Pullin and Dru Smith on 2-way deals. Players on 2-way deals can be replaced at any time.
Anthony Chiang: Josh Christopher, who remains unsigned, after being named the Las Vegas Summer League championship game MVP: “I think this Heat culture thing just brought the best out of me. I don’t think I’ve had a series of games better than this in my life, honestly.”
ClutchPoints: PELLE LARSSON FOR THE WIN! MIAMI HEAT ARE SUMMEE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 🏆 (via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/DP8iqHqrAx
