Stevens leads the entire Las Vegas Summer League with 8.5 assists per game.
Miami Heat Summer League standouts Isaiah Stevens, Kel’el Ware, and Keshad Johnson in front of Kaseya Center.
There has been great talk of the Miami Heat’s Summer League team and it is for good reason as they are currently undefeated during play in Las Vegas led by some standout players such as first round pick Kel’el Ware, Keshad Johnson, and Josh Christopher. However, one player that will no doubt be in contention likely for one of the three two-way contracts is point guard Isaiah Stevens with his impressive play.
Stevens has been an impeccable play maker during his time in the Summer League where he even has the highest career-average for assists by a Heat player in the Summer League with 8.5. Currently on an Exhibit 10 camp tryout deal, Stevens spoke after the Heat’s dominating win over the Toronto Raptors Friday night, 109-73, as he talked about not paying too much attention on getting a two-way contract with the Heat according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“I’m not really focused on all that right now,” Stevens said. “I’m just trying to show up every day and do my job here in Vegas. Whatever is for me is for me. I’m just trying to show up and make the most of opportunities. That’s all I’m worried about right now.”
Stevens speaks about his approach to playing point guard for the Heat
Besides having the Heat all-time assists mark, the 8.5 also leads the Las Vegas Summer League, but another impressive statistic that is likely to be under the radar is that he has 41 assists to 12 turnovers in the four appearances. Acting as Miami’s floor general, he talks about his “unselfish” perspective when commanding the team during the winning streak as he creates outstanding opportunities for other players around him.
“I’ve been playing the point guard position a long time,” Stevens said. “So far to this point, I’ve been able to have a lot of team success in that way and I think it comes from being unselfish at the helm. Just trying to get guys opportunities, I feel like it makes them want to play with you even more, it makes them want to play harder because they know they actually have an opportunity of being rewarded at the end of a cut, when they’re open, as they’re moving. So I think it just brings the team together when that’s your style of play.”
Heat Summer League coach expresses Stevens’ strengths
If there is one person who has been impressed with the performances from Stevens, it has been Heat Summer League head coach Dan Bisaccio. He would express after the win over the Raptors that he has a great balance of “when to be aggressive and when to be a playmaker.”
“First and foremost, he’s doing his thing really,” Bisaccio said via The Miami Herald. “Not listening to me, being who he is. Being a player. He does such a great job of getting our offense organized. I have complete trust in him with that. I love the fact that he really picks and chooses his opportunities when to be aggressive and when to be a playmaker. Then when we need to settle, he settles.”
Stevens at 23-years old went to Colorado State University where he played there for five seasons and stacked up an impressive resume as he leads the program all-time in points, assists, and even three-point shots made. Last season he averaged 16 points per game for the Rams where he currently is at 8.5 points in his four games with the Heat shooting 50 percent from the field.
“Isaiah [Stevens] does a great job as our point guard,” Bisaccio said. “He’s a floor general. He’s a leader out there. He gets these guys organized. He does a great job of just seeing the different coverages. “Really give credit to his selfless nature. There’s sometimes when I’m really just kind of asking, ‘Hey man, you could have shot that one.’ He’s really telling me, ‘Well, I saw this,’ or, ‘I saw this play.’ We love really just the overall playmaking that he’s been doing and we’re going to continue to challenge him to just improve that even more, as the defense starts to really hone in on him.”
Stevens believes he is fit for the current NBA structure
According to Chiang of The Miami Herald, his favorite point guard of all time is San Antonio Spurs’ Chris Paul who is arguably one of the greatest to ever play the position. He mentioned how he is best fit to play the position in the modern NBA which consists heavily of pick and roll offense which Stevens mentioned to have done a ton during high school and college.
“I played in a lot of pick-and-rolls in high school, went to college and I was in ball screens every single year,” Stevens said. “Then it just got bigger and bigger as my career advanced. So really just knowing that this is a pick-and-roll kind of league and being able to attack advantages and switches and different things like that. It’s just going to take some time to get used to the pace and how everything operates. But it’s definitely a style of play that I think I can find a niche in.”
Stevens reaction to playing with Heat first round pick Kel’el Ware
What also helps with those types of plays is having an effective big man next to him which has been the Heat’s first round pick in Kel’el Ware out of Indiana University. Standing at seven foot, it has been a new experience playing with a center like Ware, even saying that he has “never played with a big man like him.”
“I’ve never played with a big man like him,” Stevens said. “Kind of just opens up another aspect of seeing the game. Even just trying to figure out timing and launch pad angles and different things like that with a guy who can get up at any moment. Just playing that fine line of on time, on target with him. Just getting to know where he likes the ball, when is it going too many possessions without him getting a good touch.”
It remains to be seen if Stevens will have a permanent spot on the Heat roster, but with the team unable to add another player to a standard contract due to financial limitations and with their two-way contracts filled out, they would have to cut a player. Currently on a two-way contract is Keshad Johnson, Zyon Pullin, and Dru Smith, but with other standout players like Josh Christopher, Cole Swider, and Stevens, Miami has an interesting decision to make sooner rather than later.
Miami’s Summer League team is in the Final Four of the Las Vegas league and will face the Golden State Warriors Sunday afternoon for a chance to go to the finals.
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