Two-way contract players take on added importance amid pandemic
The Heat isn’t known for just giving minutes to players, no matter the circumstance. Those are usually earned.
So when Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked what recent playing time could mean for the longterm development of the team’s two-way contract duo of guard Gabe Vincent and forward Max Strus, Spoelstra made one thing very clear.
“That’s not what this team is about,” Spoelstra said in advance of Monday night’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets at AmericanAirlines Arena. “This team is about producing.”
Then Spoelstra explained why Vincent and Strus have been consistent members of the shorthanded Heat’s rotation over the past three weeks with key players like Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro and Avery Bradley missing extended time during that stretch.
“We have great confidence in those guys,” Spoelstra added. “They put in so much time behind the scenes. They’re prepared, they’re ready to produce. We don’t even hesitate. We don’t look at whether they’re two-way or the full guaranteed contract. We feel that they’re plug-and-play guys.”
Entering Monday, Vincent has played in 11 consecutive games. Vincent, 24, has averaged 8.6 points while shooting 35.1 percent from the field and 22.8 percent on threes, 1.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 21.3 minutes during that span.
Meanwhile, Strus has played in nine games during that 11-game stretch. Strus, 24, has averaged 5.3 points while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 34.4 percent on threes.
The numbers show there’s still plenty of room for both to grow, and the undermanned Heat posted a 3-8 record during that 11-game span. But Vincent and Strus also know the opportunity to play extended minutes is one that doesn’t come often for two-way contract players working to prove they deserve a standard NBA deal.
“Just trying to make the most of it and definitely win games,” Vincent said. “In that aspect, I haven’t been coming up on top of that. So still trying to figure out how to win games and how to impact winning because that’s the most important thing to me and that’s the most important thing to this organization. How can you impact winning and how can you be successful?”
In Saturday’s win over the Sacramento Kings, Strus played nearly the entire fourth quarter on a night Bam Adebayo, Butler and Herro were all available. Strus logged a team-high 11:56 in the final period against the Kings.
During the fourth quarter, Strus made two layups on timely cuts to the basket and also missed a relatively open three-pointer with 1:23 to play.
“Max has a toughness about him,” Spoelstra said when asked about his decision to play Strus down the stretch on Saturday. “He’s going to be in the right places defensively. He’s big for a wing player, scrappy. Then on the other end, he’s fearless. He had that big back cut, he took a [three] without hesitation. All of those things fit what we wanted to do.”
The importance of twoway contract players this season has already been on display, with the Heat turning to its 16th and 17th players on the roster to step into rotation roles while others are out because of health and safety protocols or injuries.
Rather than being limited to spending up to 45 days with their NBA teams, two-way players are allowed to practice with their NBA teams this season and be active for up to 50 of their team’s 72 NBA games during this season amid the roster uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve said this now for a few weeks, we feel very comfortable with both Max and Gabe that we can play them in any circumstance and you feel fine,” Spoelstra said. “They’re plug-and-play guys and they still both have a lot of upside.”
Vincent has already been on Miami’s active roster for 13 of the first 19 games. Strus has been on the active roster for 12 games.
“It’s an unfortunate circumstance,” Vincent said of the shorthanded roster that has pushed him into a consistent role. “But I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m just going to try to continue to help this team any way I can whenever my number is called.”
NUNN’S TESTING DELAY
Kendrick Nunn didn’t play in Saturday’s win over the Kings because the Heat was still waiting on his COVID-19 test results when the game began, and he was not cleared to play until the second quarter. By then, Spoelstra said that the team’s rotation was already in motion and
Nunn spent the night on the bench.
“It was just an unfortunate situation where tests didn’t come back in time and I was unavailable,” Nunn said when asked Sunday about the testing delay. “They told me to go back to the locker room until it came back. I sat back about 10 minutes and I was available after that.”
Nunn said once he joined the team on the bench, he thought he might get in the game.
But he never did.
“After I became clear and available, I was just waiting on my number to get called,” he said.
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WE HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN THOSE GUYS . ... THEY’RE PLUG-AND-PLAY GUYS AND THEY STILL BOTH HAVE A LOT OF UPSIDE.
Erik Spoelstra on Gabe Vincent and Max Strus
THE TURNOVER FIX
Less than two weeks ago, the Heat was averaging the most turnovers per game in the NBA at 18.3 per game and owned the league’s highest turnover rate at 17.9 percent.
But Miami has taken a step forward in this area recently, averaging 13.8 turnovers to go with a turnover rate of 14.1 percent during the five-game stretch leading into Monday’s matchup against Charlotte.
“I think it’s important for us right now to simplify,” Spoelstra said. “Our spacing has to be perfect and you just have to be mindful. I don’t want to take away our aggressiveness . ... But the mindfulness is critical. Those have been crippling errors for us, particularly those live-ball turnovers. We’re last in the league at those. We have to address that. That’s probably the No. 1 priority for this team. We take care of that and a lot of other things will fall in line.”