The Summer League Miami Heat have started 2-0 and look poised to make the showcase’s playoffs. Several of the Heat’s players have stood out, including their first-round pick and a few under-the-radar prospects.
Here’s a look at three players whose stock is up, and one player who is in danger of losing his spot on the team.
Up: Josh Christopher
After Monday night’s fourth-quarter eruption, Josh Christopher has totaled 43 points over two Las Vegas Summer League games.
In Miami’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Christopher poured it in from everywhere on the court but especially from beyond the arc, making five of his seven 3-pointers en route to 20 fourth-quarter points.
“Everybody was so excited for him,” Heat Summer League coach Dan Bisaccio said of Christopher’s shooting display. “They know the work that he’s put in behind the scenes.”
Christopher, who finished last season on the Heat’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, has been working with the Heat coaches since May. The former first-round pick said he wants to show the Heat he can thrive as a role player.
“Be an animal on defense, and taking my shots, shooting my 3 and trusting the work that I’m putting in,” Christopher said. “Just being able to play off the ball and play a whole new role, be one of those 3-and-D guys.”