Harkless already buying into Heat culture, seeks to establish his role on court
Right after Maurice Harkless met with Pat Riley for the first time earlier this fall, he was on the phone with his mother telling her what the president of the Heat was like.
Harkless could only think of one comparison for the legendary figure.
“He kind of reminds you of like the godfather,” the forward said. “He carries himself with that type of aura. You feel his energy when he walks around. Obviously, everybody knows his resume, and how much he’s impacted this culture and this game, so everybody’s always kind of attentive to him when he has things to say. He doesn’t say much, he’s usually just watching, but his door is always open if you want to go talk to him and that’s huge.”
Harkless is still in his early days as a member of the Heat and, in this strange preseason, it has been a particular whirlwind for him to get acclimated.
Miami had to alter its famous conditioning test because of COVID-19. The players can’t fill up the locker rooms at AmericanAirlines Arena like they normally would and can’t spend any real time together away from the practice facility. The offseason was shorter and so is training camp, meaning there’s less time than ever for new players to find comfort in their new surroundings.
It doesn’t take long to buy into “Heat culture,” though.
“First, I’ve got to give credit to what they’ve created here before I got here. It’s a system, it’s a brotherhood, a community that’s pretty easy to just be plugged into,” Harkless said. “Everybody was welcoming. They’re trying to help and teach you, trying to get you up to speed fast.
“It’s intense, it’s physical, it’s tough, it’s hard, but that’s what basketball is, that’s what competition is and that’s what you want. As a competitor, you want intensity, you want competition, you want physicality, you want toughness and we get all that here.”
He had his “welcome-toMiami” moment in those first practices — “they were all tough, I think on purpose,” Harkless said — and now he’s trying to figure out his role before the regular season begins Dec. 23 against the Orlando Magic.
The Heat valued him in free agency because of his defense, versatility and shooting ability. Harkless, 27, can play either forward spot and possesses good length at 6-7. He’s a career 32.5-percent three-point shooter on 1.9 attempts per game and he peaked as a 41.5-percent shooter with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2017-18 NBA season.
Harkless said he’s willing to do whatever Erik Spoelstra asks and the coach has been encouraging him to shoot more often when he’s open. He thinks there’s a good chance he ends up attempting the most threes in his career this season.
“They’ve been kind of harping on that. It’s something I’m just going to go out there and do,” Harkless said.
“The ball moves around a lot. If I’m open, I’m going to shoot it. If not, I’m going to pass it to the next guy, and just play within the system.”
JOHNSON JOINS HEAT PRACTICE
B.J. Johnson practiced with the full team Thursday for the first time since Miami signed the 6-7 small forward to an Exhibit 10 contract to fill out its preseason roster.
The 24-year-old, who played in 10 games with the Magic last year, possesses the traits the Heat looks for in a potential two-way player, Spoelstra said.
“He has NBA experience, great quickness and length, and ability to shoot the ball, so he has those good qualities of being able to be a two-way guy.”
Exhibit 10 contracts include an invitation to training camp and do not count against the salary
cap or luxury tax. Teams can convert Exhibit 10 contracts to two-way contracts, which allows players to split time between the NBA and NBA G League.
NBA COVID-19 UPDATE
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association announced eight players tested positive for the coronavirus in the latest round of testing since Dec. 2.
The number is down significantly from the initial round of testing as players returned to their home markets. In the first round, 48 players tested positive for COVID. The percentage of positive tests is down to 1.5 from 8.8. The trend is encouraging after the troubling initial
round of testing.
“That’s what we’re all hopeful for,” Spoelstra said. “The daily testing is a big part of this and then your in-market protocols for your building, and how do you do your business with that in mind. And then your wellness pledges once you leave these doors that everybody has to be respectful and mindful of our behavior away from here.”
The league is also crafting a vaccine policy, ESPN reported, and has been talking with teams, players and agents about how to distribute vaccines across the league.