Latest news with #LasVegasSummerLeague
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Keshad Johnson has more to prove to Heat this offseason after rookie year of development
After going undrafted last year, forward Keshad Johnson did enough last summer to earn a spot on this past season's Miami Heat roster. Now, Johnson is hoping he did enough this past season to return to the Heat's roster next season. The Heat has a few weeks to make a decision on Johnson's status, as he has a $2 million team option in his contract for this upcoming season. The Heat has until June 29 to decide on that team option, with Johnson becoming an unrestricted free agent if Miami chooses to bypass the option. 'I feel like I've grown mentally,' Johnson said of the steps forward he took as a rookie this past season. 'I've learned a lot about basketball, Xs and Os. Just being in the NBA, at first it started off fast. But it started to slow down as time got going. Just getting comfortable. Skill-wise, I feel like the mental aspect of learning cheat codes and things like that.' Johnson's rookie season turned into a developmental season after going undrafted out of Arizona last year. Johnson impressed in the G League with averages of 17.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game with the Heat's developmental affiliate (the Sioux Falls Skyforce) this past season. But Johnson's NBA playing time with the Heat was limited, appearing in just 16 NBA games as a rookie this past regular season. He logged double-digit minutes in only three of those 16 NBA regular-season appearances. 'The biggest challenge is just staying ready, always staying ready,' said Johnson, who turns 24 on June 23. 'Human nature tells you to relax and things like that. So trying to stay disciplined, always staying ready for my opportunity, being ready to go from zero to 100. Not playing here and playing 100 there in the G League and everything like that. So that has just been a challenge. I pretty much feel like I've excelled in doing that.' Johnson (6-foot-7 and 225 pounds) projects to be a physical and athletic three-and-D forward who fits the Heat's switching defense because of his versatility on that end of the court. As part of the Heat's developmental plan for Johnson, he was used as a small-ball center for extended stretches in the G League this past season. 'I fit in with just the heart aspect of Heat culture,' Johnson said when asked how he fits the Heat's defensive scheme. 'Everybody out here is able to make winning plays. I can fit right in making winning plays along with everybody else.' While the Heat has a decision to make on Johnson's future with the team this month, the expectation is he will be part of the organization's summer league team for the second straight year. Johnson helped the Heat win the Las Vegas Summer League championship last year. 'It's just always good learning how the business works, learning how to keep your mental right, learning how to expect the unexpected and things of that nature,' Johnson said of his rookie season. 'Going back down [to the G League], staying ready, it all builds character. So I feel like my character has grown a lot, starting on a two-way and also getting a contract. I feel like this year has tested my character a lot.' Johnson started this past season on a two-way contract before being promoted to a standard deal this past December. Johnson will soon find out if the Heat wants to continue its investment in him next season. 'They wouldn't do that if they didn't believe in me,' Johnson said of his mid-season promotion to a standard contract. 'So I just got to prove them right. Prove that I'm worthwhile and I can impact the game and help the team in any way I can.' SUMMER CAMP Jr. HEAT Summer Camp begins the week of June 9 at two different locations (S.L.A.M. Miami High School and Cooper City High School) for boys and girls ages 7-17 of all abilities and skill levels. 'Our camps focus on both improving individual basketball skills and off the court character development,' the Heat's description of the camp reads. 'Campers will participate in a variety of competitions, fundamental drills, and games. .... One day out of the week, we get a current Heat player or Heat Legend to visit camp, take pictures and sign autographs with the kids. Lunch is included and the campers will receive giveaways daily.' Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. will visit the camp at Slam Miami High School and Cooper City High School during the week of June 9. Registration for Jr. HEAT Summer Camp can be found at
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili scores NBA record 34 points in 19 minutes, celebrates feat with Flavor Flav
Perhaps you entered Wednesday unfamiliar with any of the following things: The name Sandro Mamukelashvili; The fact that he is a basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs; or Either the broad confines of his skill-set or the finer points of his game. If that is true, don't beat yourself up about it too much. It appears the Knicks weren't very familiar with those things, either. A second-round pick out of Seton Hall back in 2021 who began his career in Milwaukee, the 6-foot-11 Mamukelashvili has spent most of his four pro seasons on the fringes of the rotation, offering spot minutes behind the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Victor Wembanyama. The loss of Wembanyama to a blood clot and reserve big man Charles Bassey's knee injury opened up some more opportunities for the 25-year-old, though, and on Wednesday, he made the most of them, turning in the game of his life against the visitors from New York: a career-high 34 points on 13-for-14 shooting, including a perfect 7-for-7 from 3-point range, to go with nine rebounds, three assists and a steal in a stunning 120-105 Spurs win. 'He's in the NBA for a reason,' Knicks forward Josh Hart said after the game. 'He's a good player.' [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] That avalanche of buckets all came in just 19 minutes and 26 seconds of floor time earned Mamukelashvili a piece of NBA history. It's the most points that any player has ever scored in fewer than 20 minutes, topping Jaylen Brown (33 in 19 minutes in 2021), Kevin Love (32 in 15 minutes in 2022) and Kevin Durant (30 in 19 minutes in 2014). He's also just the fourth NBA player ever to make 90% of his field goals, 100% of his 3-point attempts and 100% of his free throws in a game, joining Charles Barkley, Gary Payton and Tyrese Haliburton. Pretty decent company for a guy who's averaging 4.9 points per game for his career, and who entered Wednesday having never hit the 30-point mark in 176 career games. Perhaps it's not surprising that Mamukelashvili showed out in this particular contest, though. After all, he had a friend in the stands — someone special he wanted to impress. This entire Mamu-Flavor Flav sequence might just have saved the Spurs season 🩶 — WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) March 20, 2025 Yes, you're seeing what you think you're seeing: That is former Public Enemy rapper, multi-instrumentalist and all-around bon vivant Flava Flav rushing the court to celebrate with Mamukelashvili, serving as the hype man for Mamu like he was Chuck D back in 1998. If you're wondering how this came to be — and, I mean, how could you not be? — here's Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: Mamukelashvili met Flav at the Las Vegas Summer League as a rookie in 2021. The two hit it off and have been friends ever since. 'I FaceTime him sometimes,' Mamukelashvili said. When Flav said he was coming to San Antonio for his birthday this week, Mamukelashvili hooked him up with tickets behind the Knicks bench, then proceeded to put on a show. After losing control of the proceedings by giving up a 16-1 mid-first-quarter run to their hosts, New York had clawed back to within six points of the Spurs when Mamukelashvili checked in less than a minute into the second quarter … and promptly proceeded to black out. "I don't know what f***ing happened," Mamukelashvili said after the game, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN. "I don't know what f***ing happened." Over the next eight minutes, he outscored the misfiring Knicks by himself, 13-9, punishing Tom Thibodeau's bigs inside and out to help propel San Antonio to a 24-point halftime lead. When opponents run pick-and-rolls with their centers setting the ball screen, New York prefers to have their own big men sink back toward the paint rather than aggressively stepping up to guard the 3-point line. This drop coverage helps ensure that the Knicks always have a bigger body back by the basket to aid with rim protection and rebounding — two non-negotiable principles of any Thibodeau defense. But it can leave New York susceptible to opposing centers who can step out and shoot the ball, and on Wednesday, while the Knicks employed Karl-Anthony Towns (who finished with a team-high 32 points and nine rebounds on 11-for-21 shooting), it was San Antonio whose stretch-5 consistently lit up the night, popping off of his picks with enough room and time to rain fire on a dead-legged Knicks team looking none too thrilled to be back on the road after a one-game home stop following a five-game West Coast swing. After New York finally got its offense untracked in the third quarter and got back within eight with 7:29 to go in regulation, it was Mamukelashvili who slammed the door, drilling a pair of triples and dishing a dime to a cutting Jeremy Sochan to keep San Antonio up by double-digits before putting the Knicks to bed with a dunk of his own and another bomb to push the lead back to 17. He'd finish with 21 points in the final frame, shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, before checking out to a rapturous ovation from the San Antonio faithful — a performance beyond his wildest dreams. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time," Mamukelashvili told reporters. "I just can't explain how I feel right now. I feel like I'm in a dream. I manifested and prayed for it. I just waited for this day. I really had an out of body experience for a little bit there. I was like, 'Is this really happening?'"
Washington Post
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Alex Sarr has the freedom to fail and no fear in doing so
Shortly after his third Las Vegas Summer League game, Alex Sarr texted his trainer, Packie Turner. The two had been searching for a time to work out amid Sarr's crowded schedule. They had tentatively scheduled a session for after the July 16 matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, though potential family dinner plans threatened to postpone it.
