Change coming to Heat coaching staff and observations from summer win over Bucks in Vegas
As the Miami Heat continues summer league in Las Vegas, the player development process has been on display. But the Heat’s player development staff will look a little different moving forward.
On the same day the Heat earned a 91-72 blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday to improve to 2-1 in Las Vegas Summer League, news surfaced that Anthony Carter is leaving Miami to join the Memphis Grizzlies’ coaching staff after spending the last five seasons on Erik Spoelstra’s coaching staff.
Carter, 48, has been a consistent presence within the Heat’s well-regarded player development program in a behind-the-bench role. He was a player development coach for two seasons from 2018-20, spent one season as a player development coach and director of player development in 2020-21, and then was promoted to assistant coach and director of player development for the last two seasons.
Carter also spent time with the Heat as a player, beginning his 13-year NBA playing career as an undrafted free agent in Miami in 1999. His first four NBA seasons came with the Heat.
The remaining player development coaches on Spoelstra’s staff are Octavio De La Grana, Eric Glass and Rob Fodor. If the Heat chooses to fill the opening left behind by Carter’s departure from within, video coordinator Dan Bisaccio and video specialist Remy Ndiaye are options.
As for the Heat’s summer league win over the Bucks on Thursday in Las Vegas, Miami dominated the game despite missing its last two first-round picks Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jovic sat out the contest for rest purposes. It marked the first game he has missed during summer league.
Jaquez missed his third straight game with a left shoulder injury that he sustained during a summer league contest last week in Sacramento. Through the Heat’s first five summer league games, Jaquez has only completed one because of the injury.
The Heat completes its summer league back-to-back on Friday against the Denver Nuggets (8:30 p.m., NBA TV) for its fourth of at least five games in Las Vegas. A win over the Nuggets could send the Heat into the Las Vegas Summer League semifinals for a chance to compete for the title.
Here are some other observations from the Heat’s win over the Bucks in Las Vegas:
▪ Heat guard Jamaree Bouyea has worked to improve as a facilitator and his growth has been on display in summer league.
Bouyea, who the Heat signed to a two-way contract earlier this month, finished Thursday’s win with nine points, four rebounds, 10 assists, one steal and two blocks. He has totaled 32 assists to just 10 turnovers in the four summer league games he’s played in this year.
Bouyea averaged 6.4 assists per game in 22 appearances last season with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He went undrafted last year out of San Francisco.
▪ Heat center Orlando Robinson continued his impressive summer league, finishing Thursday’s win with a game-high 25 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Including a 36-point effort to open Las Vegas Summer League, Robinson has averaged 25.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 4 of 12 (33.3 percent) from three-point range through the Heat’s first three games in Las Vegas.
The Heat promoted Robinson from a two-way contract to a partially guaranteed standard contract this offseason. He’s on track to be on Miami’s 15-man roster this upcoming season.
▪ Heat forward Jamal Cain, who remains a restricted free agent, finished Thursday’s win with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, eight rebounds and three assists.
Cain is working to prove he deserves a standard contract from the Heat after spending last season on a two-way deal with Miami. He has averaged 17.3 points and six rebounds per game while shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 6 of 12 (50 percent) on threes in the four summer league games he has played in this year.
▪ Drew Peterson, who went undrafted this year out of USC, finished with double-digit points for the third straight game for the Heat. He recorded 10 points on 2-of-4 shooting from three-point range, three assists and two steals on Thursday.
Among the pool of players on the Heat’s summer roster who went undrafted this year, Peterson has stood out as a 6-9 forward who’s known for his three-point shooting ability. He has started in each of the Heat’s first five summer league games, with Heat coaches encouraging him to be aggressive from three-point range.
Peterson, 23, is one of the top candidates to fill the Heat’s open two-way contract slot.
This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 7:34 PM.
