Marcus Garrett makes summer statement in return from wrist injury. Will he stick with Heat?
When Marcus Garrett was waived by the Miami Heat in January, he was already eyeing summer league.
The defensive-minded guard went on to undergo season-ending surgery to fix the instability in his right wrist, but remained around the Heat for rehabilitation all while circling summer league as the target for his return.
“That was kind of always the plan,” said Garrett, who was one of the Heat’s two-way contract players last season until he was waived. “That’s why I went on and had the surgery so I could be back for summer league.”
It was a close call, but Garrett accomplished his goal and was cleared to play in basketball games again in late June just about a week before the start of summer league.
Garrett, 23, didn’t waste any time in making his presence felt. He did not play in the California Classic but practiced with the team to get his body ready for his first game action in nearly seven months, and then began Las Vegas Summer League with a statement performance that included 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, 1-of-1 shooting on threes and 2-of-3 shooting from the foul line, three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 26 minutes in Saturday’s 88-78 win over the Boston Celtics at Cox Pavilion.
“It felt great,” Garrett said following his 2022 summer league debut. “Knowing that I’ve been out since January, it’s been something I just prayed for. Having the opportunity to play this game again.”
Garrett’s production on Saturday wasn’t surprising. It was the fact that he did it just a few weeks after being cleared that opened eyes.
Garrett also impressed as a member of the Heat’s summer league team last year, averaging 11 points on 17-of-26 (65.4 percent) shooting from the field and 3-of-7 (42.9 percent) shooting on threes, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 3.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game to earn a two-way deal from Miami.
“No. 1, it’s what Marcus does by nature,” Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Malik Allen said following Saturday’s win in Las Vegas. “But like I said since the start of camp, he was practicing in San Francisco [at the California Classic] and you could tell he had that kind of look where it was sort of he wanted to get back to how he was playing.
“It was great to see him back there. When he gets between those lines, he’s a tough competitor and obviously he lifted us up. It was just great to have him back.”
Known for his elite defensive ability with a 6-10 wingspan, Garrett (6-5, 205) made an immediate impact on that end in his first game back. He forced the Celtics into multiple turnovers with his relentless on-ball pressure.
“That’s kind of what I want to be known for is my ability to guard the ball,” said Garrett, who was named the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year as a junior at Kansas before going undrafted last year.
But the question surrounding Garrett’s game has always been whether he can do enough offensively to be an NBA rotation player. He totaled just 13 points on 5-of-21 (23.8 percent) shooting from the field and 1-of-4 (25 percent) shooting on threes, 23 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and three blocks in 12 games with the Heat last season.
To earn a consistent role with the Heat or any NBA team, Garrett will have to become a more efficient three-point shooter and prove he can also serve as an effective facilitator when he’s needed to run the offense.
“Just getting more comfortable. Knowing that I can make the reads off the pick and roll,” Garrett said when asked which part of his offensive game has grown the most since last summer. “I feel like that’s the part of my game that’s not talked about is me being able to make the right play off of pick and rolls.”
Just like last summer, nothing is guaranteed for Garrett this year. The Heat’s two two-way contract slots are currently taken by guards Javonte Smart and Mychal Mulder, and there aren’t expected to be any openings on the 15-man roster with Miami right up against the luxury tax.
Just like last summer, though, Garrett will try to force the Heat to make room for him with his play in summer league. Even though Smart and Mulder currently hold Miami’s two-way deals, they can be waived at any time to open a spot for another player.
Another option for the Heat is to simply try to sign Garrett to an Exhibit 10 contract, would would essentially invite him to compete for one of the team’s two-way deals in training camp while also making sure another NBA team doesn’t poach him away before then.
“I just like how things are run,” Garrett said of why he is back with the Heat for summer league after he was waived by the organization in January. “I love the organization. I love how it feels like family. That’s kind of something I’ve been accustomed to throughout my whole career. It’s not something that I just wanted to leave and not be a part of.”
The feeling is mutual because the Heat didn’t want him to look elsewhere either.
“We like him that much that he’s back here,” Allen said. “He has worked his butt off just to get back here. So it’s a great opportunity for him. We’re excited about him and we’re just excited to see him play. His strengths are things that we just value as an organization. So he’s getting back, just play hard, play well, got to work on a couple of things while we’re here and just leave it out there. But we’re happy to have him back. I know I am. I love Marcus.”
CONTRACT DETAILS
The details on a few new Heat contracts are in.
Forward Caleb Martin’s new three-year, $20.4 million contract with the Heat includes a $7.1 million player option in the third season in 2024-25.
Guard Victor Oladipo signed a two-year, $18.2 million deal to return to the Heat in free agency. The second season of the contract is a player option worth $9.5 million.
