After a pretty impressive summer league showing, Ryan Conwell's stock continues to rise after day one of Miami Heat training camp. This time around, he has Klay Thompson to thank.
During his post-practice interview after the opening day of training camp, Thompson admitted that Conwell had already beaten him in a shooting drill. It may not mean much to the average fan, but this tidbit from Thompson will only further hammer home the idea that Conwell may be further along in his development than most Heat fans believe.
Perhaps most importantly, it's only going to add more hype heading into this rookie season.
What should the Heat expect from Ryan Conwell in year one?
It's extremely early in training camp, but it's clear that Conwell is not the average rookie second-round pick. If that wasn't clear after the Heat decided to shut him down early on in the summer league, it's quietly becoming clear now.
The Heat are handling Conwell like a player who is going to play this season. And maybe a lot. It's starting to feel like Conwell could be a key part of the rotation by the end of the year.
If history tells us anything, the Heat like to use the first few months of a rookie's career to get him as much experience as they can in the G League, or in development behind the scenes. But as we've seen time and time again (from Mario Chalmers to Josh Richardson to Pelle Larsson), the Heat aren't afraid to throw second-round picks into the fire. Even after just a few months into their rookie seasons.
And with the added shooting and playmaking that Conwell can bring off the bench, there's reason to believe that Miami could want to streamline his development. Especially for an unproven rookie, the key for Conwell goes beyond just what he can do with his shooting and playmaking.
It's those two attributes that are going to give him a shot to break the rotation, but it's his defensive capabilities, along with his effort and motor, that will keep him in the Heat's good graces. At least so far, that seems to be the lasting impression that he's left with his teammates (including Thompson) and coaching staff.
It's still extremely early in training camp, but Conwell is already making waves. And if he continues to play his cards right, there's a very real chance that he could be part of the Heat's solution to their backcourt concerns.
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