Miami Heat: 5 takeaways from 2017 NBA Summer League
By Frank Urbina
2. Okaro White had ups and downs, but was solid overall
Miami’s leading scorer in both Summer Leagues was second-year forward Okaro White. The former Seminole averaged 19.0 points per contest in Orlando (leading every player there in scoring) and 18.0 points a game in Las Vegas.
Regardless, it wasn’t all positive for White. He shot 41-for-104 (39.4 percent) in both leagues combined, and turned the ball over a lot.
Okaro White wanted to use summer league to hone his skills as a James Johnson-like play making forward. So far: 1 assist, 10 turnovers
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) July 2, 2017
But that’s all right! Teams use Summer League to get players out of their comfort zones in order to expand their games, which is precisely what the Heat did with their 6’8″ big man.
Now, does that mean we’re going to see White bring the ball down and attempt to make plays on a nightly basis for the Heat in 2017-18? Absolutely not. But either way, getting this experience was great for his continued growth as a player.
What’s more, it was good to see White take over games while sharing the floor with so many less experienced players. His 29-point, six-rebound eruption on July 4 was his brightest showing of the summer.
In all, his athleticism, defensive versatility and burgeoning jump shot make him the perfect in-case-of-emergency big off the bench for the Heat. Head coach Erik Spoelstra will have no problem playing White big minutes if injury or poor form from any of the guys ahead of him in the rotation demands it.