Breaking Down the Miami Heat’s Summer League Roster
With the NBA Summer League right around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the Miami Heat’s Summer roster. Their lineup is led by familiar names such as Shabazz Napier and Justise Winslow, but most of the team consists of players most fans have never even heard of.
Here’s a brief description of each player’s history:
Bradford Burgess – Burgess went undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft after spending four years at VCU. He’s not a very good athlete, but he has proven to be a very efficient shooter, connecting on 45.4 percent on catch-and-shoot opportunities in junior year. He’s yet to log a single minute in an NBA game.
Zoran Dragic – The name probably sounds familiar. Zoran is the brother of Goran Dragic, and over his 11-year career, he’s played in Slovenia, Spain and anywhere else his brother Goran decides to play. Much like his more-talented brother, Zoran is a left-handed guard, who has the speed and quickness to drive towards the rim.
James Ennis – Ennis was drafted with the 50th overall selection by the Atlanta Hawks back in 2013, and later joined the Miami Heat in the summer of 2014. What Ennis lacks in fundamentals, he makes up for with his athleticism, and “deceptively strong” frame.
Kenny Gabriel – Gabriel went undrafted in 2012, and since then, he has played oversees in Turkey and Greece. He’s mostly known for his long-range ability, which he put on display in the Eurocup when he shot an efficient 25.5 percent from deep.
Juwan Howard, Jr. – Another name that may ring a bell. Junior is son of former Heat player, and current Heat assistant coach, Juwan Howard. He recently had a workout for the Detroit Pistons, and now he is keeping his NBA dreams alive on the Miami Heat summer league roster.
Tyler Johnson – Some fans may know him as “Bumpy,” which is a nickname given to him because of the texture of his facial skin. Johnson is a scrapy 6’4” guard from Fresno State, who is known for giving 110 percent each night.
Tyler Kalinoski – Even though Kalinoski went undrafted after four years at Davidson, he showed potential in college. In his senior year, Kalinoski was selected to the First-team All-Atlantic and he was voted the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.
Rodney McGruder – Mcgruder went undrafted in 2013 after four years at Kansas State, and he spent last season played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the NBA Developmental League. McGruder was a top-100 prospect coming out of high school, but he was never able to live up to his potential.
Shabazz Napier – Napier was the 24 overall selection after leading UConn to the NCAA National Championship, however, his success in college has yet to transfer to the NBA level. During his rookie tenure, Napier averaged only 5.1 points per game and shot an inefficient 38.2 percent.
Gabriel Olaseni– Olanesi spent four years at the University of Iowa, and he was honored as the Sixth Man of the Year in the Big Ten Conference. Olaseni (6’10) has the athleticism and length to find a spot in this league.
Willie Reed – Reed was undrafted in 2011 and since then, he’s taken a tour of the D League. Over the past three years, Reed has played for 4 different D league teams. Reed has good size (6’10, 220 lbs) but he lacks the footwork to succeed at an NBA level.
Josh Richardson– Richardson was selected 40 overall by the Miami Heat in this past NBA draft. In college, Richardson showed the ability to handle the ball and create offense off of the pick and roll.
Joshua Smith – At 6’10, 350 lbs, Smith is a hard player to miss. Smith went undrafted this year, and that is in large part to his inability to overcome his weight issues. He has the talent to make an impact, but he needs to improve his conditioning.
Travis Trice, Jr. – Trice, an undrafted point guard from Michigan State, has a lot of talent, but has struggled with efficiency. In his last year at Michigan, Trice only shot 39.7 percent from the field, but he did average a solid 5.1 assists per game.
Seth Tuttle – Tuttle might have gone undrafted, but he built up quite the college resume during his four-year stay at Northern Iowa. He was a two time First-team All-MVC (2014-15), MVC tournament MVP, MVC Freshman of the Year (2012) and Consensus second-team All-American (2015).
Henry Walker – Over his career, Walker has been the definition of a journeyman. Since being drafted 47 overall by the Washington Wizards, he has played for three NBA teams and five Developmental League teams.
Hassan Whiteside – To Hassan be the Glory! Possibly the only positive for the Heat last season was Whiteside’s emergence. He went from playing in Lebanon to leading the Eastern Conference in Player Efficiency Rating. Yes, even better than LeBron James.
Greg Whittington – Whittington spent two years at Georgetown (2011-13) where he showed significant improvement. In one year, he added 7.7 points to his per game average.
Justise Winslow– Last, but certainly not least. Winslow is a young, athletic wing with All-Star potential. His style of play is fairly similar to Wade’s; he plays with a high motor, he’s a solid defender, and he uses his quickness to attack the rim.
The Heat will play five games in seven days, from July 4 through July 11. The week-long tournament will be held in Orlando, Florida.
Any college-related statistics, unless otherwise noted, were courtesy of DraftExpress.com