The Miami Heat have made a statement during the Summer League as they won the Vegas championship by beating the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night, 120-118, which the contest had its fair share of exciting plays, including the ending. Heat's second round pick Pelle Larsson would make the tough bucket to get to the target score of 120 points and seal the deal for the team to win the Summer League title as they had been undefeated since losing their very first game against the Golden State Warriors.
Larsson was selected with the 44th overall pick in the last NBA Draft where the Heat swapped picks with the Houston Rockets to move down a spot as the team felt they can still get the player they want and receive some compensation from an opposing squad. It has been clear to see why they like Larsson as he has shown throughout Summer League his tenacity on offense and especially on defense which was on clear display in his time with the University of Arizona as he talked about making the final shot according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“Coach drew up a great play that we’ve run in practice a bunch of times,” Larsson said after the Heat won the Summer League championship. “They did a good job of guarding it … and then I just made it.”
The Swedish-born player would start the game hot by scoring Miami's first seven points so it was fitting he would make the last as overtime rules were the first team to score seven points, making the target score of 120 being the goal. Larsson would also finish with 16 points in the game to along with four assists and three rebounds.
Heat coach Dan Bisaccio talks how team stay composed in winning title
It has said before, this was as impressive as a Summer League run can be for a team like Miami as they went 2-1 in the California Classic, but as soon as they came in to Las Vegas, they would not lose a game at 8-0 as tons of standout players started to impress. Heat's Summer League head coach Dan Bisaccio, who has been with the team for the last 10 seaons, was also the mastermind behind it all in unlocking the talented abilities of such players as Larsson, first round pick Kel'el Ware, and others.
“We could have easily just kind of caved,” Bisaccio said. “There’s a couple of moments there, they’re up six and they’re up eight and we’re not getting great actions. We could have easily just folded. But that group in there, that collective grit, toughness and willingness just to continue to find solutions when things aren’t going the right way, I think that really led to a lot of success.”
In the Heat's Summer League championship win, Ware was impressive once again as he scored 21 points as he made eight of his 10 attempts, to go along with 10 rebounds and a block. Before the impressive performance, Ware was honored on the NBA's All-Summer League first team list which was not the only Miami representation as Jaime Jaquez Jr. was on the second team despite only playing two games.
Heat's Summer League team defined by their selflessness
For Bisaccio, his coaching resulted in some changes to be made as he was promoted to be the new head coach for the Heat's G-League team in the Sioux Skyforce where he once was the team's player development coach. He spoke about the ride the Summer League team had as him and company “were really hoping that it wouldn't be over.”
“By the end of this today, a lot of us coaches, we were really hoping that it wouldn’t be over,” Bisaccio said. “Obviously, yes the priority is we want to win the championship. But at the same time, this journey that we were on with this group was amazing. It was something truly special.”
During times like the Summer League, one would expect that a player's sole attention is showcasing their own skills so they can earn a contract with an NBA team. The Heat on the other hand got the best of both worlds where besides having players proving they deserve contracts, Bisaccio loved how his group “came together” and “put aside their individual goals for the better of the team”
“I understand this is summer league,” Bisaccio said via The Miami Herald. “But the fact that these guys came together as a group like that, they kind of put aside their individual goals for the better of the team. I just think that speaks volumes to who they are and what their character is.”
Heat standout Josh Christopher wins Summer League final MVP
Besides the likes of Ware and Larsson, there were a bevy of other players that have stood out from the 17 days that Miami was playing in the Summer League. Such players is undrafted free agent Keshad Johnson (who missed the last three games and is on a two-way contract), point guard Isaiah Stevens (on an Exhibit 10 contract), some familiar faces in Cole Swider and Alondes Williams, but one that has got a lot of people's attention has been former first round pick Josh Christopher.
He has been an interesting story as said before, Christopher was selected with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Rockets as he could never find his footing in the league, ending up with Miami. However, he has been electric during the past several weeks as he was even awarded Summer League Finals MVP as he scored 24 points, which was a team-high on 6-of-10 shooting on threes to go along with four rebounds and three steals.
“We’ve been grinding from the start, and now we won,” Christopher said. “Just trust and playing hard. We wanted to win, and we won.”
Heat have decisions to make regarding standouts at Summer League
Now that the Summer League has finished, the Heat have some stuff to figure out in terms of who on the squad gets a contract and who does not. The team faces financial limitations so they can not add another player on a standard contract unless they want to go over the second apron, which leads to the possibility of two-way contracts.
Currently, the aforementioned Johnson is on one (which he seems locked to keep), where University of Florida's Zyon Pullin and Dru Smith have the others. With players like Christopher, Stevens, Williams, Swider, and others showing out, they could possibly be in play for a two-way or look to further improve as training camp is near, or they go elsewhere.
At any rate, the Heat are looking to improve after finishing with the eighth seed for the second straight season at a 46-36 record as they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Follow Us
Subscribe
