5 Takeaways from the Heat's summer league title run: Kel'el Ware is ready

5. Summer league doesn’t matter… right? Do you feel any more optimistic about next season based on the Heat’s success in Vegas?

Villasis: I am surely happy about the Heat winning the summer league championship and can see some players who participated having their moments during the season. But in the big picture, I’m not wildly optimistic due to my belief that the Heat are currently not a championship contender and summer league did not change my stance on that. 

Riccio: Currently, I don’t feel any more optimistic because of who the current two-way players are. Keshad Johnson will surely remain in one of the spots, but Dru Smith and Zyon Pullin don’t bring as much to the table as a lot of the other candidates. However, if those two-ways get changed for the better, that stance can change. I truly feel that Isaiah Stevens and Josh Christopher are capable of making instant impacts, or at the very least be worked into regular roles. A two-way trio of Johnson, Stevens and Christopher could impact winning the same way Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith have over the years. 

Meadows: Summer league can give the fans and the Heat’s coaching staff a good perspective on who works and who doesn’t. It can also provide a glimpse into how the team wants to operate. I do believe that what we saw in summer league shouldn’t be completely overlooked. Capitalizing on what worked on both sides of the court and bringing it into this season will be beneficial for Miami. But just because something worked in Las Vegas doesn’t necessarily mean it will work in the regular season.

Sims: I try to be an even-keel person but I probably lean more pessimistic here. I see the flaws too often, even though I see all the positive things just as often. So, being a frequent Miami Heat watcher, the pessimistic feelings are always louder in my brain. Summer league was cool, and bringing the title home was a testament to the coaches and talent there, but that's not translating to October. This is a fun moment to celebrate and get some fun tweets off, but that's about it. Go, Heat! Everybody has to make sacrifices if we want to top off the Jimmy Butler-era with some jewelry!