This Team Underwhelms in Their Summer League Game
Today, the Miami Heat didn’t look like they could be back-to-back Summer League champs after a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team. Let’s get the main story out of the way, as first-round rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis had yet another inefficient performance. Jakucionis matched his scoring total of four points from his first Summer League game and showed no real presence on the court. Jakucionis was likely to need time and deal with growing pains during his first season as an NBA player, and those growing pains seem to be all this is. It doesn’t make the lack of any highlight-worthy moments or performances that we come to expect from a player of first-round talent. The Summer League is long and doesn’t mean much, so let’s hope for the Heat's front office's sake that this is all a meaningless “welcome to the NBA” experience for the rookie.
Kel’el Ware was the only Miami Heat roster player from last season to get minutes tonight, and in 28 minutes of play, he was just okay. This is where the Summer League's legitimacy is doubted. Ware was locking up the team's best big man and blocking shots to the moon on a nightly basis, but looked more human today against lesser competition. It’s extremely important to note that players like Ware and Jakucionis know that their roster spots and jobs are guaranteed to them when the season starts, no matter how they play. It’s a long, hot summer with them playing on a team of players they’ve likely never played with before, and in cities that they don’t live in. It doesn’t necessarily excuse mediocre effort, but there’s a divide in terms of motivation to be their best. In Ware’s case, we already know he can compete with the best that the world has to offer.
It wouldn’t be the Summer League if there weren't a look at guys that could potentially earn a roster spot with their play. My star of the day would go to Bryson Warren. Warren is entering his third season as a pro after playing for two seasons for the Heat’s G League affiliate, Sioux Falls Skyforce. Warren is an undersized guard, but he clearly shows finesse and a solid ability to shoot the ball from deep. Impressively enough, Warren could draw contact as he visited the free-throw line regularly despite his being listed at only 175 pounds. Assuming that Warren has bulked up since entering the league, perhaps it’s all part of a broader routine he has been following. It’s just one game, and he was a no-show during the team's first Summer League game, but there is effort to be shown and a rooted hunger to be there.
