Miami Heat: Latest training camp signee fits the bill of the Heat Culture

With Miami Heat training set to kick off in a few weeks, they signed Mychal Mulder to a camp deal. For several reasons, he could stick around a bit longer than that though.

The Miami Heat are a team that goes about things a certain way. From the tone set by Team President Pat Riley to the philosophies taught by Head Coach Erik Spoelstra, they are as symbiotically sound of a tandem as they come.

As part of this relationship and cooperation, they have come to become the sort of creatures of habit. This is evident from Spo’s perspective as a coach in his penchant to continue to do certain things, make certain moves, or play certain players even if it seems like he shouldn’t or should be doing something else at the moment. The best illustration from Riley’s perspective as team president and talent evaluator is the types of players he goes with.

That is where the latest training camp signee Mychal Mulder comes into the fold. He is what some might consider the prototypical Miami Heat prospect and player. This can be broken down into a few simple reasons.

At first glimpse of Mulder and simply his physical prowess and ability, he fits the bill of a Miami Heat player. Although based on measurables from his 2016 Kentucky Pro Day and according to draftexpress.com, Mulder has elite athleticism. So much so, that his measurables were among the best on a team that consisted of future NBA players and lottery picks like De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings, the Miami Heat’s very own Bam Adebayo, Malik Monk of the Charlotte Hornets, Isaiah Briscoe, and Wenyen Gabriel of the Sacramento Kings.

He had the fifth-highest standing vertical leap at 33 inches, the second-highest maximum vertical of 44 inches which was only bested by a half-inch, the second-lowest time in the 3/4 court sprint which saw him beat Fox’s time and only finish second to Monk’s, and the best lane agility time. He is a tremendous athlete as noted and that is the first reason why he might be around longer than training camp. He is an athlete of the highest caliber, and if Derrick Jones Jr. is any indicator, the Miami Heat can always find a place for one of those.

Second, he knows how to fit in and play his role. If you look back at Mulder’s time at Kentucky, you hardly know he was there.

This is a very interesting fact when you also consider the fact that he made decent contributions to the team during his time there. The fact that he could go about his time doing his job and playing his role while helping the team to achieve their ultimate goal is a subtle positive thing, but also the second reason he fits with the Heat.

Being under the radar as the above indicates means that a player can thrive, survive and contribute while just doing the little things. Mulder has shown he is capable of that at the college level and at the pro level, that is the third reason.

While every team needs stars and superstars, every team needs those contributing role players as well. The above highlight-reel play from this past Summer League says it all about Mulder. Although he probably had a great idea of what was about to happen, he still stepped in and did his job.

The last reason he fits the bill of a Miami Heat player is that he seems like he could be a diamond the rough, a gem ripe for the mining but also one that could be had for a very cheap price by a cap-strapped Miami heat team. That is an important feature right now for the Heat as they look to fill their roster out completely.

While Mulder still faces a steep uphill battle to even make it through and definitely out of camp with a roster spot, he has the tools that the Miami Heat look for. He could be serviceable and we should be eager to see what he can do. Either way, this camp talk can only mean one thing, the NBA is almost back.