Spoelstra explains what’s behind Heat’s undrafted success stories: ’It’s not cookie-cutter’
The Miami Heat’s impressive ability to develop undrafted prospects into rotation players is well-documented.
The list of Heat undrafted success stories includes Udonis Haslem, Tyler Johnson, Caleb Martin, Rodney McGruder, Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent. And rookie Omer Yurtseven looks to be on his way to soon joining that group.
Who deserves credit for the Heat’s reputation as one of the NBA’s best in developing undrafted talent? There are many within the organization who have played a role, but coach Erik Spoelstra pointed to Heat president Pat Riley as the driving force.
“It starts with an overall philosophy that Pat has,” Spoelstra said recently, with the Heat set to close a quick two-game homestand on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). “Pat was a lottery pick, but in many ways he was a guy that really had to grind and work to stay in the league. I think that always just stuck with him that when he started putting together teams that he understood how important those kind of role players were.”
Before becoming a coach and team executive, Riley was drafted into the NBA with the seventh overall pick in 1967. Despite being a top-10 selection, he spent his playing career as a role player who averaged 7.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists over nine seasons.
But others have to execute Riley’s philosophy to make it a reality for the Heat, and that’s where the scouting department and coaching staff enter the picture for an organization that doesn’t often hold many high draft picks. Because a winning record usually pushes it toward the bottom of the order, Miami has selected in the top 10 of the draft just four times since 2000 (Caron Butler with the No. 10 pick in 2002, Dwyane Wade with the No. 5 pick in 2003, Michael Beasley with the No. 2 pick in 2008 and Justise Winslow with the No. 10 pick in 2015).
“For our franchise that hopefully we’re winning a lot, you’re not going to have great draft pick position,” Spoelstra said. “So you’re going to have to find ways to develop players in other ways. Our scouting department, obviously, is just outstanding. They understand exactly what we’re looking for. They’ve adjusted to how we play and what fits best with our current team. That’s from the top. [Senior advisor of basketball operations] Chet Kammerer led it for many years, but [assistant general manager] Adam Simon and his staff have just been amazing in finding the right kind of guys that would fit in here that can handle our program. We’re not for everybody and they understand that.”
Among the 42 undrafted players who have appeared in at least 20 games and are averaging at least 16 minutes of playing time this season, five are members of the Heat: Robinson, Strus, Vincent, Martin and Dewayne Dedmon. In other words, Miami’s rotation has regularly included five undrafted players on its way to entering Monday with the Eastern Conference’s top record at 37-20.
Robinson, 27, joined the Heat after going undrafted out of Michigan in 2018 and he quickly turned into an elite three-point shooter who signed a five-year deal worth $90 million last offseason. The total value of the contract is the largest ever for an undrafted player.
Strus, 25, and Vincent, 25, are just beginning to reap the rewards of their work in the Heat’s player development program. Strus is averaging career-highs in points (11), rebounds (3.3) and assists (1.3) while shooting a career-best 40.9 percent on threes, and Vincent is averaging career-highs in points (9.4), rebounds (2) and assists (3.3) while shooting a career-best 39.1 percent on threes this season.
Martin, 26, was waived by the Charlotte Hornets last offseason before signing a two-way contract with the Heat in September. He’s averaging career-highs in points (9.5) and rebounds (4) while shooting a career-best 50.6 percent from the field in his first season with the Heat.
Dedmon, 32, was already a proven NBA player when he arrived to the Heat late last season. He’s averaging 6.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in 16.4 minutes as Miami’s backup center.
“There’s a lot to it,” Spoelstra said of developing undrafted players. “It’s not necessarily analytics. I’m not really a math guy, so that sometimes confuses me. It’s usually just putting together a plan and starting fresh. It’s not cookie-cutter. It’s not what we’ve done for one player is automatically what we’re going to do with another player. It’s being open to the possibilities and having discussions with the player and having a discussion with the staff.”
Spoelstra then pointed to Vincent as an example, as the Heat worked to transform him from a gunslinger with a score-first mentality into a three-and-D weapon with the mentality of a point guard.
“With Gabe, that was really [assistant coach for player development Eric Glass] driving that,” Spoelstra said. “I remember vividly meeting with EG and he was really selling me on that, that he can become a defensive combo guard because of his mind for the game, his commitment to player development and he coached him [in the G League]. I thought, ‘Wow, this is pretty ambitious. But let’s do it, let’s go. Let’s get him into the program and let’s go for it.’ But it also takes the right kind of student. Gabe was very willing to get uncomfortable and go through that process of kind of reinventing himself, getting out of what he knew.”
It’s a complicated process that is constantly evolving and takes patience from both the player and the Heat.
“I think everyone right now just wants one formula,” Spoelstra said. “A lot of times it is based on need. Sometimes it’s based on potential out of a player that they can grow and do some more things. Sometimes it’s a skill set that they’ve already had and sometimes you just learn more about a player as they’re in your building and with you on a day-to-day basis. We just try to be open to all the possibilities and maximize as much as we can.”
▪ NBA Commissioner Adam Silver named Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen as the East replacement for injured Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden on Team LeBron for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. Jimmy Butler remains as the only Heat player in the showcase game, with the organization hoping Tyler Herro and/or Bam Adebayo would also be selected.
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 11:55 AM.
