Advertisement

Scouts assess Miami Heat’s young player additions who are competing in training camp

Some feedback from two NBA scouts, who requested anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly, on the Heat’s young players who are participating in the team’s ongoing training camp in the Bahamas:

Scout 2 on first-round pick Nikola Jovic, who missed most of the Las Vegas summer league with a quad injury: “He’s a high-IQ player. That was clear to us in interviews and watching him. Very young. He’s a shooter, but he didn’t shoot especially well when he played in summer league, aside from the one game.

“He has defensive deficiencies he knows he has to fix. He’s not overly strong, not laterally quick. He’s not quick-footed. But in terms of knowing how to play, passing, repositioning himself for open shots, he can do that.

“Very good passer. When he develops and gets used to NBA close-outs, he will be good offensively because he’s big. He’s more catch-and-shoot right now than breaking people down. But he will develop some other pluses in his game.”

That scout said even in the predraft process, when his team spoke with Jokic, it was “apparent” that Jokic “loves Miami.”

Scout 1 on guard Marcus Garrett, who got Miami’s other two-way deal: “His on-the-ball defense was some of the best I saw in summer league. The one thing that stood out is every time he took the ball up, the player he was defending passed it to the other guard. Bringing the ball up against him is a chore. He does not allow you to initiate offense.

“He’s a ballhawk. He can switch onto larger players. But he has got to improve as a shooter, no question.”

Scout 2 on Garrett: “He’s an NBA defender, but I’m not sure what he can do on offense. Is he even a 15th guy? Debatable.”

Scout 1 on Fresno State rookie center Orlando Robinson, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal, which comes with a training camp invitation: “He was a high-level scorer in college, got double-teamed a lot there. He’s got some offensive skill, can rebound at a high level. Maybe he could become a Bobby Portis type. He’s got a chance.”

Robinson, 6-11, shot 35.2 percent on threes (37 for 105) in his final season at Fresno State. He’s likely headed to the Heat’s G League team in South Dakota.

Scout 2 on Robinson: “He’s skilled. I heard other people [scouts] were talking him up. But he’s not very athletic, and that’s a big negative to me. He’s a third-string center at best. Is he better than [Omer] Yurtseven? I doubt it.”

Scout 1 on San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal and is likely headed to the Heat’s G League team in South Dakota:

“He’s a high-level scorer [averaged 17.3 last season in college] but he’s also a real methodical, crafty scorer who can play 1 [point guard] or 2 [shooting guard]. He’s primarily a 2 but an undersized 2 that has to learn how to play the one.

“He has very good change of speed. He’s not overly quick but changes speed effectively. One minute he’s going slowly and then you see a quick burst. He reads defenses well.”

Scout 2 on Haywood Highsmith, who was the Heat’s 15th player to close last season and played well in summer league: “He can make a three, has got a good body, can defend some. To me, he’s just a guy who would be at the end of your roster or playing in Europe.”

Highsmith has a chance to earn minutes at power forward.

Here’s what a scout said on Darius Days, who got a two-way deal. With their two-way deals, Days and Garrett can eahc appear in 50 NBA games this season.

HASLEM WEIGHS IN

On Duncan Robinson’s podcast earlier this offseason, Udonis Haslem explained why he would prefer to serve a mentorship and pseudo-coach role as a player than as a coach:

“I’ve been brainwashed,” Haslem said. “I don’t feel comfortable barking orders. I feel more comfortable getting in the trenches.

“I’ve got to sleep at night. That’s why I don’t want to coach. I don’t ever want to have to play the political game. I don’t want to be guy who doesn’t play who deserved to play because I drafted another guy. The [expletive] I drafted is too cool for school, and I got a guy who’s undrafted who deserves to play but I’ve got to be patient with this [expletive first-round pick]. Get the hell out of here!”

Haslem noted that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra seems immune to that and plays the player who deserves to play. But Haslem isn’t sure he could handle being pressured to play a first-round pick over a more deserving second-round pick or undrafted player and cannot be sure a front office of another team wouldn’t pressure him to do so.

“You guys trust me,” Haslem told Robinson. “I can’t let you guys down. That means a lot to me. Every night I’m thinking about the what the [expletive] I’m going to Say [to teammates]. I take that responsibility personally. I lose sleep over that. If I don’t feel like I’ve got the most out of a certain guy, that bothers me.”

During that podcast, Haslem indicated that he and Butler quickly resolved the issue that led to a verbal confrontation during the March Golden State game.

“Me and Jimmy speak the same language,” Haslem said. “Me and Jimmy play one-on-one before every home game. Two brothers that love each other trying to get to a solution of whatever’s going on.”