Observations from Heat’s summer league win over Grizzlies, as Strus and Yurtseven lead rally
The Miami Heat defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 97-94 in double overtime on Wednesday at Cox Pavilion as part of Las Vegas Summer League. The Heat has won its first four summer league games this year.
Here are some observations from the Heat’s win over the Grizzlies in Las Vegas:
▪ The Heat used a starting lineup of Omer Yurtseven, Max Strus, KZ Okpala, DeJon Jarreau and Marcus Garrett.
But the start of the game did not go well, as the Heat ended the first quarter in a 24-13 hole. Miami shot 5 of 17 in the opening period. The Grizzlies led by as many as 20 points before Miami outscored Memphis 59-45 in the second half to rally for the win.
▪ Strus bounced back from Sunday’s inefficient 5-of-14 shooting performance in a big way with 32 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field and 7-of-17 shooting on threes, and nine rebounds against the Grizzlies. He hit a three on the first possession of the sudden-death second overtime period to lift the Heat to the win.
“It was fun. That game was fun,” Strus said. “Fun to play with these guys and fun to come out on top, for sure.”
Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Malik Allen said of Strus’ game-winning shot: “It was a feel and Max just had ‘it’ all game. Just a will, like he had willed us so many times and periods in that game. It was just the perfect opportunity. Sudden death, this is what it is. Let’s get the ball in his hands, let’s not take any chances of it getting deflected, coming off a screen. Let’s just get it in his hands in the middle of the floor and he’ll make a play.”
Strus, who will be on the Heat’s 15-man roster this upcoming season, also turned in a 27-point performance on 5-of-11 shooting on threes in an Aug. 4 win over the Golden State Warriors as part of the California Classic.
▪ After sitting out Sunday’s win over the Denver Nuggets because of a blister on his foot, Yurtseven returned to finish with 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 shooting on threes, 11 rebounds and four blocks in 34 minutes. He threw down an alley-oop pass from Jarreau with 5.2 seconds to play to tie the game and force overtime.
But Yurtseven started slow as he worked against the strength of power forward Xavier Tillman (6-8 and 245 pounds). Yurtseven scored just four points on 2-of-8 shooting in the first half before scoring 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting after halftime.
“We said this from the start going into the game,” Allen said. “This was going to be a test for him playing against Tillman because he’s big, he’s physical, he can really defend, he can move his feet, he’s got good anticipation. So it was a great test for O. It took him a little while to figure it out, but over time he did. He just kept working the game, working the game and he got to his spots in the post and he saw some shots fall and his confidence just began to grow and grow.”
Wednesday’s performance is the continuation of Yurtseven’s strong summer league. The 7-footer, who signed an NBA contract with the Heat last week, totaled 52 points on 20-of-37 shooting from the field and 5-of-11 shooting on threes, 27 rebounds and four blocks in two games in the California Classic.
▪ Okpala produced a stat line of two points on 0-of-3 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, eight rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes in his second-ever summer league game.
Offense continues to be a bit of a struggle for Okpala, who’s entering the final season of a three-year, $4.2 million contract he signed prior to his rookie season in 2019. The 22-year old forward finished his summer league debut Sunday with 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting from the field and 2-of-8 shooting on threes, 11 rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes.
▪ Garrett finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block.
The undrafted Kansas guard has been impressive as a member of the Heat’s summer league team, especially defensively, and has emerged as a clear candidate for one of the team’s two-way contracts. Garrett, who was named the Naismith and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, has racked up 13 steals and three blocks in four summer league games.
▪ Jarreau did not play in the Heat’s two summer league games in Sacramento because of a thigh contusion.
But Jarreau has played in the first two Las Vegas Summer League games, and started as the Heat’s point guard on Wednesday. Jarreau, an undrafted guard out of Houston, finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and two steals.
Jarreau recorded six points on 3-of-4 shooting, three rebounds, four assists and two steals in Sunday’s victory over the Nuggets to open the Las Vegas circuit.
“You gotta control what you can control,” Jarreau said of his thigh injury. “So while I was out, I was just trying to be the best teammate that I can be. Trying to encourage guys and give guys props whenever they do something. So just trying to bring a great vibe and great energy while I was out. It was hard, but you got to control what you can control.”
Jarreau, 23, is one of the more high-profile undrafted players on the Heat’s roster after helping to lead Houston to the NCAA Final Four last season. He was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was voted to the All-American Athletic Conference Second Team.
▪ Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson attended the Heat’s first Las Vegas Summer League game — a Sunday win over the Nuggets. On Wednesday, Adebayo and Udonis Haslem sat on the end of the bench in support.
Tyler Herro and Robinson also sat courtside to watch the Heat’s summer game against the Grizzlies.
Haslem, wearing a Miami Dolphins shirt, was animated on the bench and at one point was in Yurtseven’s ear offering some advice. Haslem is returning to the Heat for a 19th season, with a formal announcement from the team expected soon.
▪ Guard Gabe Vincent, who is one of four players on the Heat’s summer league team with a guaranteed NBA contract for next season, again was held out. He has not played in a summer league game this year.
Vincent, 25, is with the team and not dealing with an injury. He has been at practices but it’s unlikely he’ll play in a summer league game after recently returning from Tokyo, where he represented Nigeria in the Olympics.
▪ The Heat will play five games as part of Las Vegas Summer League, with Wednesday’s contest marking the second. Next up is a matchup against the Utah Jazz on Friday at 5 p.m. (ESPNU).
This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 7:10 PM.
