Veteran NBA assistant explains why Heat nailed the draft. And Herro shares his thoughts

A veteran NBA assistant coach, who has been on the staff of multiple teams and also has scouted in the league, arrived home from Las Vegas Summer League last month convinced that the Heat’s personnel department nailed the 2024 draft.

“They got a steal with [Kel’El] Ware,” the scout, who is not permitted by his team to speak publicly, said by phone this week of the Heat’s first-round center out of Indiana. “Everyone questioned his motor at Oregon; nobody questioned the talent. And people are going to be disappointed they didn’t take him [before Miami selected him 15th].

“His shot blocking was off the charts in Summer League. He got up and down the floor. He’s always been considered a talented offensive player, but he did it more consistently than people expected. He really shined. This is going to give Bam [Adebayo] the ability to not be at the five [center] full time.”

Ware averaged 18.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 58.4 percent from the field in eight summer league games.

The longtime coach, who currently works in the Western Conference, said Heat second-round pick Pelle Larsson is “smart as heck. He just knows how to play. If [Heat 2023 first-round pick] Jaime Jaquez is a 10 on the know-how-to-play scale, this kid is right there with him. He’s not as physically gifted as Jaquez, but he can shoot. And he’s got a great feel for the game.”

That longtime NBA coach/scout also said he’s hopeful that the Heat can extract something from former Rockets first-round pick Josh Christopher, who was signed to a two-way contract:

“He can really score. He played in some competitive summer league games and showed late in games that he could be a threat. From talking to people who have worked with him, it wasn’t like he balked at going to the G-League. He took the challenge to learn how to distribute and become a better player in the G-League when asked to do that.

“His defense can improve. He has the elements to make him a very switchable, tough defender. He doesn’t back down from a player he would have to switch on.”

What must he most improve to become an NBA rotation player? “He’s a three and D guy, so consistent range shooting would be the thing. This summer, he looked like he solved that.”

HERRO SPEAKS

In a new interview with Forbes, Heat guard Tyler Herro said he is again working on his body in an attempt to avoid some of the types of injuries that have sidelined him in recent years.

“My biggest thing right now is developing my body and trying to get stronger so that I can stay as healthy as possible throughout the season,” said Herro, who has missed 71 regular season games over the past three seasons.

Herro missed four games of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals because of a groin injury. He missed all but the first game of the Heat’s 2023 playoff run to the NBA Finals because of a hand injury. And he missed 40 regular-season games last season because of ankle, knee and foot injuries.

As for his overall game, Herro said, “I really want to sharpen up my efficiency to maximize my abilities as a scorer.”

Herro last season averaged 20.8 points while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 39.6 percent on three-pointers.

Asked in that Forbes interview if the Heat should be viewed as an “inner circle” title contender, he said: “I don’t see why not. We have everything we need…. I’m really excited for this season. Obviously, there are a lot of teams in the East that think they have externally improved. But I think we’ve improved internally…

“It may look a little different, but we have young guys that we hope will continue to get better. Bam Adebayo and I are young guys who are starting to become full-fledged veterans in this league. Terry Rozier is healthy now and ready to compete. Then you have Jimmy Butler, who is extra motivated after not being able to play in the playoffs last season.

“We haven’t been healthy yet. But we feel like when we do get healthy, we have a very deep team – a team that is deep enough to make a run in the East and ultimately win the NBA title.”