Takeaways from the Heat’s dreadful 92-72 loss against Cleveland at the Las Vegas Summer League on Sunday:
▪ For the most part, Kel’el Ware responded favorably to a public challenge from Erik Spoelstra. But more is still needed.
After an underwhelming start to summer league, Ware was far more aggressive, active and engaged, hitting a hook shot on Miami’s first possession en route to an 11-point first quarter that also included an alley-oop dunk (from Javonte Cooke), a three-pointer, two blocks and a steal.
In the second quarter, he showed rare public emotion after a strong, physical post move that led to a three-point play.
He went to the half with 17 points and six rebounds and finished with 21 points (on 8 for 14 shooting), with 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and a steal in 27 minutes.
On the flip side, he was on the floor when the Cavs were dominating the boards, including an 11-3 edge to start the game, and was sometimes caught flat footed. At times, he either forgets to box out or doesn’t do it forcefully enough.
Cleveland outrebounded the Heat by 14 even though Ware, 7-0, is three inches taller than any Cavaliers starter Sunday.
Also, scurrying back on defense in transition remains an issue at times for Ware.
And Ware was on the floor during a 13-1 Cavaliers third quarter run that pushed Cleveland’s lead to 18. (His teammates shouldered more of the blame.)
Ware also was stripped when he clumsily put the ball on the floor during one sequence, leading to a transition dunk by Cleveland.
Nevertheless, this was a far better effort than Friday’s low-bar performance in a loss to Atlanta, when he had 10 points and 6 rebounds in 26 uninspired minutes, with the Hawks outscoring the Heat by 21 points during his time on the floor.
A day later, Spoelstra - in an out-of-character moment for him - said Ware “has to really embrace and improve his professionalism, his consistency, his approach every single day.
“He has to get better with that. It’s learning how to become a pro. I understand that he was 20 last year and he’s 21. But we have bigger expectations. It’s not your normal growth and growing pains of a young player learning how to become a pro. But that’s what this summer is about. Learning how to become a pro, learning how to be consistent every single day.
“The talent is there. The professionalism and consistency has to improve, and it is. Our standards are not going to change and our expectations and how fast we want that to improve for him are not going to change. But he has to get better at it, he has to take ownership of it.”
Consider the message delivered, at least to an extent.
“Playing with that effort; it’s something I haven’t been doing the past couple games,” he told NBA-TV’s Dennis Scott after the first quarter.
And his defense? “That’s something I gotta show and keep showing.”
Before Sunday, Ware had been unimpressive through his first three summer league appearances, averaging 12 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 13 of 33 (39.4 percent) from the field and 1 of 10 (10 percent) from three-point range in those games.
He’s now 3 for 13 on threes this summer, after making 2 of 3 on Sunday.
▪ Rookie first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis had his fourth quiet game in five summer league appearances.
After erupting for 24 points against Atlanta on Friday, Jakucionis took only five shots (making two of them) and closed with six points, two assists and three turnovers in 18 minutes.
After missing all 11 of his three-pointers in three games in San Francisco, Jakucionis made five of nine threes on Friday before going 0 for 2 on Sunday.
One of very few highlights on Sunday: He stripped a Cleveland ball-handler and hit a layup on the other end, his only basket of the first half. To his credit, he would have had many more assists in three games in San Francisco and two games in Las Vegas if his teammates had made more shots.
Jakucionis opened alongside Erik Stevenson, Pelle Larsson, Keshad Johnson and Ware.
▪ In his penultimate summer league appearance, Larsson played well early and late.
On the other hand, Larsson and teammates could do nothing to stop a Cleveland avalanche in the third quarter.
He finished with 14 points and hit both his three-point attempts but also committed five turnovers and had just three boards in 28 minutes.
Larsson has a knack for drawing contact and hit 6 of 8 free throws after going 9 for 11 from the line on Friday. He also hit his only three-point attempt, an aspect of his game that must become more consistent after he made 32 of 95 threes (33.7 percent) as a rookie.
Larsson is scheduled to play in Monday’s game against Boston (8 p.m. ESPNU) before leaving Las Vegas to join the Swedish national team.
If Spoelstra opens with a starting lineup of Bam Adebayo, Ware, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins, then Davion Mitchell and Nikola Jovic likely would be the sixth and seventh players, in whatever order.
That would leave Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Larsson, Simone Fontecchio and Terry Rozier competing for two or three rotation spots.
There’s no doubt that Larsson’s $1.9 million contract will be guaranteed. Only $977,689 of that salary is guaranteed; the rest becomes guaranteed a few days before the start of the regular season.
▪ Forward Keshad Johnson’s summer league play remains disappointing.
The Heat guaranteed his $1.9 million salary by a late June deadline, but the question is whether his roster spot - as well as the open 15th roster spot - would be better utilized on a veteran backup center and another shooter (free agent Alec Burks?) as protection in case Herro or Powell is injured.
Johnson mustered five points and four rebounds in 26 minutes, shooting 2 for 10 from the field.
In the Las Vegas opener, Johnson had nine points, three rebounds and eight fouls in 27 minutes. He had five more fouls on Sunday.
His work on the glass and the three-point shooting (0 for 5 on Sunday) must both improve.
The Heat sees upside with Johnson, but there hasn’t been appreciable growth this summer.
It’s doubtful that the Heat would release him and eat his salary, but Miami - which stands $4 million above the luxury tax threshold - could hypothetically try to unload him to a team that can absorb his minimum salary.
Problem is, another player (and salary) would be required to take his spot on the roster.
▪ The Heat likely will need to look elsewhere to fill at least one of its two-way contracts.
Former Michigan and FAU center Vlad Goldin, who has one of the Heat’s three two-way contracts, did not play on Sunday after hauling in just one rebound in 13 minutes on Friday. Keep in mind that teams that replace players on two-way contracts at any time.
The Heat’s two other two-way spots are open, with Dru Smith expected to fill one of those spots as he works his way back from a torn Achilles sustained last September.
Though Cooke and Stevenson have had some good moments in summer league, nobody on the Heat’s summer league roster has made a compelling case for the third two-way spot.
Cooke shot 0 for 5 on Sunday. Veteran Kira Lewis isn’t eligible for a two-way contract. ▪