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Still, Spoelstra indicated that Larsson has earned a rotation role, which would be a step up from last season’s limited action. “We just want to have him as an all-around player,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat to open training camp Sept. 30 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. “Now, he’s a very smart player, he’s a heady player, very skilled. And so during summer league we just had him handle the ball for us, more for his player development. It’s not that we’re trying to turn him into a point guard. But the more skills he can add, it can help your team. “And he’s a physical player. We call him a bully with the basketball. He knows how to draw fouls. He knows how to get into the paint. He’s improving his passing. And we think with improved ballhandling, he’ll be able to take advantage of those skills even more.”
Jaquez has focused on getting in a better headspace after his frustrating second NBA season. He has spent most of the summer in the Los Angeles area, where he was born and raised. “I’m feeling great right now,” Jaquez said Saturday, with the Heat six weeks away from opening training camp on Sept. 30 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. “I’ve been doing a lot of work. I’ve been in Los Angeles just training every day and it’s been great. It’s been great to get away. It was good to be home for quite a significant period of time. But I’m feeling great, my head is in the right place. I’m just super excited to get this season started and go win some games.”
For the first time since Norman Powell was traded to the Miami Heat in early July, the veteran guard is in South Florida. But he’s in South Florida as a member of the Jamaican national team. With Jamaica’s men’s basketball team holding training camp at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton to prepare for the FIBA World Cup 2027 Americas pre-qualifiers, Powell has been in South Florida for more than a week. Powell will leave the country on Wednesday to play the first of Jamaica’s three FIBA World Cup 2027 Americas pre-qualifier games in Mexico on Friday against Barbados before facing Costa Rica on Saturday and Mexico on Sunday.
The Miami Heat on Wednesday formally announced the signing of former Florida Atlantic University center Vladislav Goldin to a two-way contract. Terms were not revealed, with an NBA source confirming to the Sun Sentinel that Goldin’s contract is for one season.
Artem Komarov: FAU center Vlad Goldin is declaring for the NBA Draft.
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Barry Jackson: Heat announces training camp will be at FAU Oct. 3 to 7. No Bahamas this year
The Heat continues to hold forward James Johnson out of contact work in practice as he recovers from May surgery to repair a sports hernia. But Johnson said he has participated in “all the 3-on-0, 5-on-0, fast break, defense against coaches” drills, which do not involve contact. “I’m feeling better,” Johnson said following Friday’s training camp practice at FAU. “I’m getting better every day. I’m getting stronger every day and I can’t wait to come back healthy.”
But as the days passed in July, the same thought kept running through Ellington’s head: “Why would you ever leave something that has been really good to you?” “I knew what I wanted,” Ellington said this week after a training camp practice at FAU. “The Heat have always expressed that they wanted me back. It was just a weird summer. The offer was on the table early. It was more of me and my agent kind of waiting it out and seeing what was going on.”
Ira Winderman: To follow up amid reports of Heat cancelling evening practice amid Butler buzz: Heat wanted to and were preparing to practice, but the court time preferred at FAU was not available, so held a team meeting. Same was the case on Tuesday night. He instead went longer Wed. morning.
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Add Goran Dragic to the Miami Heat’s list of injured players. The Heat starting point guard was held out of the contact portion of Wednesday’s training camp practice at FAU after hurting his ankle on the first day of camp Tuesday.
Rex Walters, whose head coaching stops include Florida Atlantic University, the University of San Francisco and the NBA G League’s Grand Rapids Drive, has launched a new basketball podcast. The first podcast episode was posted online this week. Walters’ first guest is his former boss, Stan Van Gundy, who was dismissed as Detroit Pistons president and head coach this offseason.
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow looked good and showed no ill effects from their season-ending injuries last season in their first full practices back with the team Tuesday morning at Florida Atlantic University. “[Winslow has] been scrimmaging for a while. It was important for him to get those live reps. You would never be able to tell by his aggressiveness that he brought to this practice that he was coming off any kind of injury anywhere on his body. People felt his presence.”
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