After selecting Indiana center Kel’el Ware and Arizona guard Pelle Larsson with the No. 15 and 44 picks of the 2024 NBA Draft, Miami immediately inked Arizona forward Keshad Johnson and Florida guard Zyon Pullin to two-way contracts within minutes of the draft’s conclusion.
It subsequently brought back guard Dru Smith–who it parted ways with (for the fourth time in two years!) last season months after he suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers in November.
All three two-way spots were filled before anyone had time to blink. Eight other teams–the Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies, Bucks, Timberwolves, Thunder, Kings and Raptors–have filled all their two-way spots at the of this publishing.
The beauty of two-way contracts–for teams, not players–is that they don’t count against the cap. Thus, the Heat could shift the chairs around whenever they want to without any cap penalty.
Last year, it officially signed Jamaree Bouyea and Dru Smith to two-way contracts on the second day of free agency but left one spot available for the taking. Jamal Cain signed his two-way qualifying offer early in the fall while Smith was elevated to a standard contract in October; Bouyea was cut for former first-round pick R.J. Hampton; and Cole Swider signed a two-way after signing an Exhibit 10 (training camp invite) in August.
It won’t be the last time it dramatically shifts its two ways. But fast forward nearly a year later, Miami’s run into an even steeper conundrum regarding their two-way spots.
The only lock is Keshad Johnson, who’s more than proved during the Summer that he should stick with the organization. Heck, he may be in line to earn a pro-rated minimum during the 2024-25 season–should the roster remain the same–since they can’t convert him without exceeding the vaunted second apron.
That leaves two occupied spots–owned by Pullin, on Miami’s Summer League roster, and Smith, who’s rehabilitating from injury–potentially up for grabs.
And the one non-two-way player who deserves one is former Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens, who could arguably be the best pure point guard in the organization today if that two-way was fulfilled.
Isaiah Stevens hasn’t lit up the box score. Though what he has done better than anyone is captaining the ship whenever he’s on the floor.
Through four Summer League games, the 6-foot guard has averaged 8.8 points and 6.5 assists–to just 1.3 turnovers, an absurd 5.2 AST:TO ratio–converting on 12 of his 18 shot attempts, including seven of his eight 3-pointers.
On Saturday, Stevens tallied 11 assists to just one turnover–which was a moving screen, not an errant pass or fumbling the dribble off his leg/foot–in their Las Vegas Summer League opener against the Boston Celtics. He’s done a phenomenal job getting teammates–Ware, Johnson, Cole Swider, Alondes Williams and Josh Christopher, among others–involved while adding a nice flair as a shot-maker.
Stevens was a career 40.8 percent 3-point shooter on 4.1 triple tries per game at Colorado State. He took nearly 35 percent of his shot attempts from distance while converting on 59.5 percent of rim attempts, despite being undersized as a lead guard. He also led the Mountain West in career assists (863) and has produced the 11th-most points in NCAA History (2,520), sporting a career 32.7 assist percentage with just a 14.7 turnover percentage.
He’s incredibly shifty and a smart decision-maker with the ball in his hands. No Heat player–including Pullin, Larsson and Williams–has come close to conducting the offense better than Stevens through an abbreviated Summer sample. His shooting will likely regress, but his impact offensively won’t. He will always be calm and collected, orchestrating the chess pieces and putting his teammates in position to succeed. Stevens will also compete at the point-of-attack and has shown the ability to pick up 94 feet and snake around screens competently.
You could make the case that Miami doesn’t need a true point guard in their system. Why not kick the tires on one? Getting a player in your system you know can make life easier for your best players–or, at the G-League level, (other) players you want to develop–should be a priority, despite his size, or lack thereof.
Pullin’s shown flashes, averaging 7.4 points and 2.0 assists (to 1.2 turnovers) on 48.4 percent shooting and 55.0 percent true shooting. He’s a bigger guard who’s better defensively. Though his flashes haven’t been as consistent.
Whether it’s been as a shotmaker or distributor, Stevens has been more consistent. Whether it’s in Summer League, preseason, regular season or postseason, that matters, to some degree.
Isaiah Stevens, who signed an Exhibit 10 before Summer League even began, will have a greater opportunity as fall approaches–but I think he’s shown he’s already earned the two-way spot, whether it’s granted to him at the end of Summer League or not.
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