IN THE LANE BACK AT IT:

Last summer, Omer Yurtseven’s service for Turkey came up short of an Olympic berth when his national team lost in a qualifying tournament in Vancouver. Instead, Yurtseven joined the Heat for summer league and dominated in Sacramento and Las Vegas. This summer, the Heat 7-footer is back at it on the international stage during qualifying for the 2023 World Cup. And this time, Turkey’s roster is loaded, including Furkan Korkmaz (Philadelphia 76ers), Cedi Osman (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets). Also on the Turkish national team is former University of Miami guard Shane Larkin, who has thrived in the Turkish League and in 2020 received Turkish citizenship.

BACK AT IT, TOO: Another player with Heat ties making an international appearance of note this summer is Goran Dragic, with the former Heat guard briefly ending his international retirement to join Luka Doncic again on the Slovenian national team. The two teammed to help win EuroBasket in 2017, with Dragic then stepping aside from international play. Dragic, 36, is an impending free agent, with the Dallas Mavericks apparently interested in bringing him aboard alongside Doncic. Also returning for national duty for Slovenia is former Heat guard Zoran Dragic, Goran’s brother.

BUSY GYM: Even after the Heat’s flurry of pre-draft workouts, the team’s practice facility will remain busy, with USA Basketball to utilize the space at FTX Arena for a training camp next weekend in advance of World Cup qualifying. While the NBA’s elite skip qualifying, there are familiar names on the roster that plays in Puerto Rico on July 1 and Cuba on July 4, including Heat 2017 summer prospect Eric Mika, as well as former Florida guard Michael Frazier,

Galloway

CHAMPIONSHIP LINEAGE: With the Warriors’ title, Gary Payton II helped put his father in the NBA record book as just the fifth fatherson pairing with NBA championships. Gary Payton shared in the Heat’s 2006 championship at 37. Gary Payton II won this past week at 29. “It’s huge. It’s crazy,” the younger Payton said. “You know, never would have thought something like this would happen.”The other father-son champions: Matt Guokas Sr. (1947 Philadelphia Warriors) and Matt Guokas Jr. (1967 Philadelphia 76ers), Mychal Thompson (1987, ‘88 Los Angeles Lakers) and Klay Thompson (2015, ‘17, ‘18, ‘22 Warriors), Rick Barry (1975 Warriors) and Brent Barry (2005, ‘07 San Antonio Spurs), and Bill Walton (1977 Portland Trail Blazers, 1986 Celtics) and Luke Walton (2009, ‘10 Lakers).

THE FLIP SIDE: Boston’s Udoka said he did not feel the Celtics were the same team in the finals that beat the Heat in seven games in the East finals. “Just felt like we played probably our worst series of these playoffs,” he said. “If we play up to the standard of Milwaukee or the Miami series, it’s obviously a different ballgame, especially in Game 4 and 5 when we struggled in the fourth quarter.”

NUMBER

Active players in the NBA selected at No. 27 in the first round, the Heat’s draft slot on Thursday night: Cameron Thomas (currently with Nets, 2021), Udoka Azubuike (Jazz, 2020), Robert Williams (Celtics 2018), Kyle Kuzma (Wizards, 2017), Pascal Siakam (Raptors,

2016), Larry Nance Jr. (Pelicans, 2015), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Hawks,

2016) and Rudy Gobert (Jazz, 2013).