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Miami Heat: Takeaways from the California Classic

By Allana Tachauer

SACRAMENTO, CA - JULY 5: Miami Heat huddle before the game against the Sacramento Kings during the 2018 Summer League at the Golden 1 Center on July 5, 2018 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - JULY 5: Miami Heat huddle before the game against the Sacramento Kings during the 2018 Summer League at the Golden 1 Center on July 5, 2018 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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How’d the Miami Heat fair in the California Classic?

2018 NBA Summer League play is breezing on by, with the California Classic having come to an end on Thursday night.

The tournament was held July 2-5 in Sacramento, and included the Kings, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. The Heat ended up going 2-1, starting things off by falling short to the Warriors but then bouncing back, taking victories against both the Kings and Lakers.

While some may argue that Summer League performance rarely has much to do with what will happen with a team in the regular season, Heat Nation should still be very much excited about what went down in California.

Cleared For Takeoff

Derrick Jones Jr. was by far Miami’s greatest asset during the first leg of Summer League play.

Over three games, the high-flier averaged 21.3 points on 51 percent shooting from the field, alongside 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist, in 35.3 minutes of play.

He scored 24 points in 33 minutes against Golden State, going 7-for-15 from the field and 4-of-5 from downtown. Jones also grabbed 10 rebounds and a steal, making for an impressive beginning to his California Classic run.

The 21-year-old didn’t let up against the Lakers either.

Jones finished with 21 points in 22 minutes, on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. He also made a strong impact on the other end of the court, grabbing five rebounds, three steals and four blocks on the day.

And although he didn’t fair as well versus the Kings, No. 5 still totaled 19 points in 32 minutes of play (on 7-of-14 shooting), seven rebounds and two steals on Thursday afternoon.

He also threw down some nasty dunks, which more than made up for his slight slip in numbers.

All in all, Heat fans should be celebrating Jones’ new two-year contract.

Wam Bam

Miami went into Summer League expecting big things out of Bam Adebayo, and he certainly didn’t disappoint.

The center averaged 12.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in 34.7 minutes of play, causing some to question whether he should actually be starting over Hassan Whiteside next year.

His performance wasn’t all about raw numbers either. Although averaging a double-double is notable on its own, what’s more impressive is the overall growth Adebayo showed on both ends of the court.

Against the Warriors, the big man totaled 14 points and 15 rebounds, showcasing an entirely new aggressive side to his game that had everyone talking. He went hard through the lane on offense, set sturdy screens on defense, and generally exhibited a toughness reminiscent of old-school NBA Basketball.

Not to mention that point-Adebayo came out to play from time to time, helping him to better fit into head coach Erik’s Spoelstra beloved positionless basketball system.

Adebayo struggled bit against Los Angeles, with Mo Wagner giving him a run for his money, but he still did what he could to help lead the team to victory. The 20-year-old finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, while also going 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.

In the Heat’s final California Classic matchup, Adebayo scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds; a stat-line made much more exciting by the fact that one of his baskets came off of a beautiful mid-range jumper.

Everyone should expect big things from Adebayo’s sophomore campaign.

NBA Worthy

While Jones and Adebayo certainly stole the spotlight, there were a few other guys who turned heads in Sacramento.

Take Duncan Robinson, for example.

The league-hopeful averaged 11.3 points on 57 percent shooting in 30.0 minutes, most notably splashing the ball in beautifully from beyond-the-arc. He made four 3-pointers on Thursday, coming off of shooting 5-of-6 from 3-point land a game before against the Lakers.

Three contests may be a small sample size but if Robinson continues to show out this way in Summer League, there very well might be a handful of NBA teams reaching out to the sharp-shooter for help.

Rashad Vaughn also looked pretty good out there, averaging 8.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.0 minutes of play.

Yesterday, he totaled seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, including one lightning-fast transition 3.

There’s definitely still work to be done there, but in the right system of player development, Vaughn could potentially raise some eyebrows.

Next: The Miami Heat need to sign Jamal Crawford this summer

The Miami Heat faired well at the California Classic, but now it’s time to see how they do in Las Vegas. First competitor up? The New Orleans Pelicans, with tip-off scheduled for 5 PM ET.

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