The Miami Heat opened the California Classic Summer League against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night at Chase Center. Miami won by a score of 88-87 in a game that featured rookie Ryan Conwell. While the final score mattered, the Heat’s biggest takeaway was the defensive effort and late stops in the 4th quarter.
The Miami Heat led by as much as 13 points, but the Spurs made a late push to cut the Heat’s lead to a single point with 10 seconds left and had an opportunity for a go-ahead three-point shot, but luckily for the Heat, they missed.
Ryan Conwell Shines in Summer League Debut
Miami was led by rookie Ryan Conwell, who finished with a game-leading 21 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. He gave the Heat an encouraging performance as the organization evaluates its young talent ahead of training camp. Conwell, known for his three-point shooting, looked smooth last night, and his off-ball movement helped with handoffs. He showed that he is a talented combo guard with his pull-up jump shots and step-back isolation plays.
Conwell Focused on Making an Impact Beyond Scoring
I asked Conwell, “So, your shot wasn’t really falling in the first half, but you contributed in different ways. So, how important is it to have a balanced game outside of scoring when you’re not as efficient as you want to be?”
Conwell said,
“I would say super important, you know. I take a lot of pride in just being a multi-dimensional player, a very versatile player. And you know, at the end of the day, you know, I can’t control the ball going and every time, because if I could, it would go. But you know, just staying confident, and also just, you know, just showing the other aspects of my game. You know, just defensively, just being a pest, being a dog, you know, just talking to my teammates, keeping the energy hot, facilitating just different things that I can do just to help my team win outside of shooting.”
Jahmir Young Provides Veteran Leadership
Jahmir Young was the veteran of the bunch, and he also impressed with 21 points and led the team with 4 assists. He was 3-7 from deep and 8-13 overall from the field. Jahmir did a solid job facilitating and trying to set up his teammates. That’s an area he needs to improve if he wants a shot at making the roster. Jahmir also played well defensively and will need to focus on that end of the floor as well.
Defense Will Be the Key Moving Forward
I asked Jahmir,
“So, Coach talked about defense, especially in that fourth quarter, you guys gave up a 13-point lead, ended up holding on by one point. So, how important is it to obviously play two-way, so how much of a focus for you this upcoming season is to be on the defensive end?”
Jahmir said,
“A lot, a lot. I mean, we, I mean, this organization likes us to be best, likes us to pick up 94 feet. So coach has been preaching that to us, we’re trying to get after it, but we have to limit, you know, on turnovers, their second chance points, so for us just limiting them to one shot and getting out.”
Looking Ahead
Up next for the Miami Heat are the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, July 5. While it was only the first game of Summer League, it was important to win, and the Heat had plenty of positive moments.
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