The Miami Heat have brought back one of their own. After starting his NBA career in Miami, the Heat have signed Javonte Smart to a two-way contract after Tuesday night’s loss against the Dallas Mavericks.
Javonte Smart is replacing Caleb Martin as Miami’s second two-way player alongside Kyle Guy. Miami converted Martin’s contract to a standard contract on Monday, which means that Martin will be eligible to play in the playoffs for the Heat this season.
OFFICIAL: The Miami HEAT have signed guard Javonte Smart to a two-way contract.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 16, 2022
More info on Smart - https://t.co/3Z6Pv1KcAy pic.twitter.com/c1FpfyjWrN
The former LSU guard was originally signed by the Heat on September 10 on an Exhibit 10 contract after going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. Smart appeared in six games with Miami in the 2021 NBA Summer League, averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.
Javonte Smart was then waived by the Heat along with Micah Potter, Dru Smith, and D.J. Stewart ahead of the current regular season. The other three guys are still playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s NBA G-League affiliate, this season after being waived by the Heat though, for consolation.
The Miami Heat have signed Javonte Smart to a two-way deal. A very solid scorer and distributor, he could be the next great development project in Miami.
Smart started in five games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He averaged 22 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 35.5 minutes per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from three in the 2021-22 NBA G League Showcase Cup.
He was then signed by the Milwaukee Bucks to a two-way contract. In the 13 games he played for the Bucks, he averaged 2.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 25.6 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from behind the arc.
Last month, the Bucks has announced that they have waived the 6’4 guard. Following his stint with the Bucks, Sioux Falls announced that they had reacquired Smart.
He led the Skyforce with 21.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 37.1 minutes played per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 78.1 percent from the free-throw line. An hour before the Heat’s announcement of Smart’s signing, he helped the Skyforce get their sixth win of the 2022 NBA G-League season and in a dominant fashion.
He finished the game with a career-high 40 points, four rebounds, and six assists while shooting 61.1 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from three against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Houston Rockets’ NBA G-League affiliate.
Javonte Smart continues to COOK! 👨🏾🍳
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) February 16, 2022
He went off for a career-high tonight and is averaging 35.0 points over his last three games. @SFSkyforce pic.twitter.com/aUrBd9XbF4
This season, Smart is one of the best combo guards in the G-League. He has the ability to score and distribute the ball at any given time, which is one of his strengths coming off the draft.
He has the potential to be one of the top contributors for any NBA team in future seasons coming off the bench. In his last three games played with the Skyforce, he is averaging 35 points, 4.7 rebounds, and five assists per game while shooting 60 percent from the field and 51.2 percent from three.
So the question now is—do we see Smart play for the Heat in their next game against the Charlotte Hornets? Perhaps and we’ll find out, but either way, the Heat have themselves another flat-out player!