Jaquez again dominates and other observations from Heat’s blowout summer league win in Vegas

The Miami Heat continued summer league action with a 102-73 blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday at Cox Pavilion on UNLV’s campus in the second of at least five games in Las Vegas Summer League. Here are some observations from the Heat’s victory over the Thunder:

▪ The Heat opened the game with a starting lineup of Zyon Pullin, Pelle Larsson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Keshad Johnson and Kel’el Ware.

▪ In Jaquez’s second and final summer league game of the offseason, he recorded 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, 3-of-5 shooting on threes and 4-of-5 shooting from the foul line, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 25 minutes.

During Jaquez’s two summer league appearances in Las Vegas, he averaged 26 points, eight rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 58.1 percent from the field. Monday’s three three-point makes were also encouraging after he shot just 32.2 percent on threes last season as a rookie.

“There’s no greater player development than five on five,” Heat player development coach and summer league head coach Dan Bisaccio said. “For him to get even just two games, it speaks volumes to his character and his leadership. And for him to fit seamlessly with these guys was really impressive to see”

Jaquez is expected to play a big role for the Heat in his second NBA season after making the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team last season.

“I love playing basketball,” Jaquez said after playing in the Heat’s first two Las Vegas Summer League games. “It’s my favorite thing to do.”

▪ Ware again flashed his potential as a three-and-D big, totaling 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting on threes, 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block on Monday. It marked his second double-double in four summer league appearances this year.

Ware, who was drafted by the Heat with the No. 15 pick last month, nearly recorded a double-double in the first half. He scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the first two quarters.

“He had three rebounds last game,” Bisaccio said. “We challenged him, he wanted the challenge of getting 10-plus and he ended up getting 12. That’s something we want to see is can you respond when you have some adversity.”

Also, after not making a three-pointer in the California Classic, Ware has shot 2 of 4 (50 percent) from behind the arc in the Heat’s first two Las Vegas Summer league games.

▪ Johnson continued his impressive summer league with 11 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.

“He brought a real disposition that I thought just contributed to us getting out and leading the breaks, scoring,” Bisaccio said of Johnson.

Projected as a three-and-D forward at the NBA level, Johnson has shot 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) on threes and has racked up eight steals and five blocks through the Heat’s first five summer league games.

Johnson is one of three players who the Heat currently has signed to a two-way deal along with Pullin and Dru Smith.

Pullin was relatively quiet with six points, two rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.

Smith is not playing in summer league as he rehabs from last year’s season-ending knee injury.

▪ Guard Josh Christopher exploded for 20 points in Monday’s fourth quarter for the Heat after scoring just three points in the first three quarters. He shot 7 of 9 from the field and 5 of 7 on threes in his high-scoring fourth quarter.

“For Josh, I think everybody was so excited for him,” Bisaccio said of Christopher’s scorching fourth-quarter display. “They know the work that he’s put in behind the scenes.

Christopher, 22, has totaled 43 points in the Heat’s first two Las Vegas Summer League games.

Christopher (6-foot-4 and 215 pounds) is a former first-round pick, as he was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He’s still looking for an NBA contract after spending part of last season with the Heat’s G League affiliate.

▪ Larsson finished Monday’s win with nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Larsson, who the Heat took in the second round of this year’s draft, has shot 2 of 10 (20 percent) on threes through his first four summer league appearances. He shot 47 of 110 (42.7 percent) from three-point range in 37 games (37 starts) as a senior at Arizona last season.

▪ Guard Isaiah Stevens again played the role of facilitator, recording nine points and seven assists. The undrafted guard out of Colorado State has dished out 25 assists to just five turnovers in his last three summer league appearances.

▪ After falling behind by 10 points early in the game, the Heat won the second half 61-40 to cruise to the blowout victory.

▪ The Heat’s contingent at Monday’s game included assistant coaches Chris Quinn and Malik Allen, general manager Andy Elisburg, assistant general manager Adam Simon and director of college and pro scouting Keith Askins. Heat guard Josh Richardson and Heat icon and vice president of basketball development Udonis Haslem also watched from inside Cox Pavilion.

▪ The Heat plays its third Las Vegas Summer League game on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks (3 p.m., ESPN2 and Bally Sports Sun). After posting a 2-1 record in the California Classic, the Heat now holds a 4-1 overall summer league record this year with a 2-0 record in Las Vegas.