Jaquez again dominates, other observations from Heat's blowout summer league win in Vegas
Published in Basketball
LAS VEGAS — The Miami Heat continued summer league action with a 102-73 blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday at Cox Pavilion on UNLV’s campus in the second of at least five games in Las Vegas Summer League. Here are some observations from the Heat’s victory over the Thunder:
— The Heat opened the game with a starting lineup of Zyon Pullin, Pelle Larsson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Keshad Johnson and Kel’el Ware.
— In Jaquez’s second and final summer league of the offseason, he recorded 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, 3-of-5 shooting on threes and 4-of-5 shooting from the foul line, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 25 minutes.
During Jaquez’s two summer league appearances in Las Vegas, he averaged 26 points, eight rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 58.1 percent from the field.
Jaquez is expected to play a big role for the Heat in his second NBA season after making the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team last season.
— Center Kel’el Ware again flashed his potential as a three-and-D big, totaling 11 points, 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block on Monday. It marked his second double-double in four summer league appearances this year.
Ware, who was drafted by the Heat with the No. 15 pick last month, nearly recorded a double-double in the first half. He scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the first two quarters.
After not making a three-pointer in the California Classic, Ware has shot 2 of 4 (50 percent) from behind the arc in the Heat’s first two Las Vegas Summer league games.
— Undrafted forward Keshad Johnson continued his impressive summer league with nine points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
Projected as a three-and-D forward at the NBA level, Johnson has shot 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) on threes and has racked up eight steals and five blocks through the Heat’s first five summer league games.
Johnson is one of three players who the Heat currently has signed to a two-way deal along with Pullin and Dru Smith.
Pullin was relatively quiet with six points, two rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.
Smith is not playing in summer league as he rehabs from last year’s season-ending knee injury.
— Guard Josh Christopher exploded for 20 points after scoring just three points in the first three quarters of Saturday’s game. He has totaled 43 points in the Heat’s first two Las Vegas Summer League games.
The 22-year-old Christopher (6-foot-4 and 215 pounds) is a former first-round pick, as he was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He’s still looking for an NBA contract after spending past of last season with the Heat’s G League affiliate.
— Guard Pelle Larsson finished Saturday’s win with nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Larsson, who the took in the second round of this year’s draft, has shot 2 of 10 (20 percent) on threes through his first four summer league appearances. He shot 47 of 110 (42.7 percent) from three-point range in 37 games (37 starts) as a senior at Arizona last season.
— Guard Isaiah Stevens again played the role of facilitator, recording 11 points and six assists. The undrafted guard out of Colorado State has dished out 24 assists to just five turnovers in his last three summer league appearances.
— The Heat’s contingent at Monday’s game included assistant coaches Chris Quinn and Malik Allen, general manager Andy Elisburg, assistant general manager Adam Simon and director of college and pro scouting Keith Askins. Heat guard Josh Richardson and Heat icon and vice president of basketball development Udonis Haslem also watched from inside Cox Pavilion.
— The Heat plays its third Las Vegas Summer League game on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2 and Bally Sports Sun). After posting a 2-1 record in the California Classic, the Heat now holds a 4-1 overall summer league record this year with a 2-0 record in Las Vegas.
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