How did Ware, Larsson, Swider, others look? Observations from Heat’s summer league opener
.jpg "Kel’el Ware poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center.")
The Miami Heat opened summer league action with a 105-66 blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors’ summer squad on Saturday at Chase Center as part of the California Classic. Here are some observations from the Heat’s loss to the Warriors in San Francisco:
▪ The Heat began its first summer league game of the year with a lineup of guards Alondes Williams and Pelle Larsson, forwards Cole Swider and Keshad Johnson, and center Kel’el Ware. Those are five of the biggest names on Miami’s summer roster.
Williams are Swider are the only two players on the Heat’s summer league team who were also on the Heat’s season-ending roster last season. Both remain restricted free agents this summer after closing last season on two-way deals with the Heat. They are hoping to do enough in summer league to earn the first standard contract of their NBA careers, whether it’s with the Heat or another team.
Ware and Larsson are on track to be on the Heat’s 15-man standard roster for this upcoming season as the team’s two draft picks this year. Ware was taken by the Heat with the 15th overall pick in the first round and Larsson was selected by the Heat with the 44th overall pick in the second round of last month’s draft.
Johnson, who went undrafted out of Arizona this year, is currently one of the three players who the Heat has signed to a two-way contract. Miami is intrigued by Johnson’s three-and-D potential as a 6-foot-6 and 225-pound forward.
▪ Ware went cold in the middle of the game, but his size at 7-feet with a 7-foot-5 wingspan was on display throughout the contest.
Ware, 20, finished his first summer league game with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 0-of-3 shooting on threes, six rebounds and five blocks in 24 minutes.
“Five blocks,” Heat player development coach and summer league head coach Dan Bisaccio said when asked about Ware’s summer league debut. “For Kel’el, that’s something that we knew he can do. We were definitely emphasizing that a lot, his rim protection. We want him going and contesting everything he can. There were a lot of positives that we’re going to take away from this game for him.”
But Ware started slow on the offensive end, beginning 1 of 8 from the field and 0 of 3 on threes. He made his first shot of the game — a 7 foot jumper — and then missed his next seven shots.
Ware found a rhythm in the fourth quarter, totaling 10 points in the final period.
“My shot wasn’t falling today,” Ware said. “So I wanted my defense to shine more than my offense today. I feel like I did that.”
▪ Swider was the Heat’s leading scorer on Saturday, finishing the summer league opener with 17 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range in 26 minutes.
“This guy is an absolute animal behind the scenes in terms of working,” Bisaccio said of Swider after the loss. “He’s a workhorse, he does everything we ask. Just today, I think his presence out there was something that was really good. So make or miss, he was still able to get us into some actions.”
Swider’s combination of size at 6-foot-8 and standout three-point shooting makes him an intriguing developmental prospect.
Since going undrafted out of Syracuse in 2022, most of Swider’s playing time in his first two NBA seasons has come in the G League.
Swider, who is a restricted free agent, hopes to earn his first standard NBA contract this offseason. Saturday was a positive step forward in that direction, as he works to solidify his NBA future.
▪ Larsson began his summer league debut by missing five of his first six shot attempts.
But other aspects of Larsson’s game were on display. His driving ability and athleticism led to seven free-throw attempts, and his competitiveness on the defensive end led to three steals.
Larsson closed Saturday’s loss with eight points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field, 1-of-4 shooting on threes and 3-of-7 shooting from the foul line in 23 minutes.
“There’s a lot of good stuff that he did,” Bisaccio said of Larsson. “I loved his aggressiveness, his ability to draw fouls.”
▪ Like Swider, Williams is also looking to earn his first standard NBA contract after finishing last season on a two-way deal with the Heat.
Williams didn’t make a field-goal attempt on Saturday, finishing the loss with two points on 0-of-9 shooting from the field and 0-of-3 shooting on threes.
Williams, who went undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2022, impressed in the G League last season. He averaged 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 43 appearances for the Skyforce.
▪ In Johnson’s first summer league opportunity, he recorded six points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field and 0-of-4 shooting on threes, six rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block in 27 minutes.
The Heat took advantage of Johnson’s versatility, playing the forward as a small-ball center to begin the fourth quarter.
Johnson’s defensive ability also flashed, coming away with a steal and turning it into a layup before then blocking a shot on the next defensive possession in the fourth quarter.
“With Keshad, his effort,” Bisaccio said when asked what stands out about Johnson’s game. “He does a great job of rebounding and moving without the ball and fighting through screens. We love his versatility. He can play multiple positions.”
Saturday’s game in San Francisco was especially memorable for Johnson because it came in front of family and friends. He grew up in nearby Oakland, Calif.
“Finally getting here, being able to get my first professional game under my wings and for it to be in front of the home crowd, it was good,” Johnson said. “I looked in the crowd, saw my parents, saw my family and friends in there. Everything worked out for the best.”
▪ The Heat used 11 of the 14 players on its summer league roster Saturday. The only players who didn’t get in the game were Caleb Daniels, Bryson Warren and Warren Washington.
Isaiah Stevens, who the Heat signed to an Exhibit 10 contract on Saturday, contributed seven points and one assist off Miami’s bench. Stevens went undrafted this year out of Colorado State.
Zyon Pullin, who is one of the Heat’s three two-way contract players, added five points, two rebounds and two assists off Miami’s bench. Pullin went undrafted this year out of Florida.
▪ The Heat’s summer squad struggled to make shots throughout the game, shooting just 3 of 18 (16.7 percent) from the field and 1 of 9 (11.1 percent) on threes in the opening quarter. Miami finished the loss just 22 of 76 (28.9 percent) from the field and 8 of 31 (25.8 percent) on threes.
The Heat was outscored by the Warriors 34-6 in transition.
“First and foremost, those hustle plays. 34 points in transition, that’s really hard to give up any night and expect to win,” Bisaccio said.
“I think right now, with just the first game, everybody is trying to figure out a bunch of stuff. That game was moving a mile a minute for everybody.”
▪ Saturday marked the first of three games that the Heat’s summer league team will play in the California Classic before moving on to Las Vegas Summer League. The Heat’s summer league team is right back at it Sunday against the Sacramento Kings’ summer roster at Chase Center (4:30 p.m., NBA TV) prior to closing its three-game run in the California Classic on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
This story was originally published July 6, 2024 at 8:25 PM.
