Darius Days on why he models game after P.J. Tucker and other Heat summer league takeaways

This year’s Miami Heat summer league didn’t include many wins. It also didn’t feature as much playing time as expected for Heat first-round pick Nikola Jovic because of an injury.

But the most significant Heat development of this year’s summer league campaign, which was overshadowed by ongoing Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell trade buzz, came just hours before its final game in Las Vegas when the team waived guards Mychal Mulder and Javonte Smart from their two-way contracts on Saturday afternoon and immediately filled those voids by signing guard Marcus Garrett and forward Darius Days to two-way deals.

Mulder and Smart entered this offseason as the Heat’s two-way contract players but didn’t do enough in summer league to keep those deals, and the organization made that clear when it waived them ahead of Saturday night’s 86-83 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on UNLV’s campus to close summer league. Miami went 2-3 in Las Vegas and finished with a 3-5 overall summer league record, including three games at the California Classic.

The Heat’s new two-way contract players, Garrett and Days, were held out of Saturday’s summer league finale.

Garrett, 23, is a familiar face, opening last season as one of the Heat’s two-way contract players after impressing in summer league. He was waived by the Heat in January and then underwent season-ending surgery on his right wrist before again representing Miami in summer league this year and learning this weekend that he would get another two-way contract opportunity with the organization.

But Days has no previous experience with the Heat. In fact, he didn’t even workout for Miami during the pre-draft process this year.

“It definitely caught me by surprise,” Days said to the Miami Herald of finding out the Heat wanted to offer him a two-way contract. “It was an exciting feeling. They gave me the call and I was excited. I was just trying to play my way into something this past week.”

Days (6-7, 245), who went undrafted out of LSU this year, played for the San Antonio Spurs’ summer league team. He averaged 13.7 points while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) from three-point range and 10 rebounds in three summer league games in Las Vegas.

As a senior at LSU last season, Days averaged 13.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game and was named to the All-SEC Second Team. He shot 43.4 percent from the field and 69 of 197 (35 percent) from three-point range.

“Just being versatile, guarding multiple positions, being able to knock down the corner three ball, play in space,” Days said of the Heat’s feedback on his game. “Just doing all the little things. Being a dog, getting on the floor, diving into the crowd, just little things. Rebounding the ball is probably the biggest one.”

When asked by a reporter during the pre-draft process which NBA player he models his game after, Days’ answer was former Heat forward P.J. Tucker. Days didn’t back down from that comparison when asked about it Saturday.

“He can rebound the ball, he can guard bigger guys,” Days said of Tucker, who left the Heat to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this summer. “He definitely switches and plays great defense. He talks on defense. He just does the little things. I mean, he’s a champion for a reason. So I like to model my game after the little things that he does.”

Days added that he views himself as a versatile forward who can also play as a small-ball center and comfortably defend positions “three through five.”

“I’ve been playing the five since I was in like elementary school. I’m used to it,” Days said. “I don’t really have a problem playing the five. I was guarding bigs in college, as well. So it’s not really a thing for me. I just got to get the job done.”

Days is a Florida native, attending Williston High School in Williston as a freshman, The Rock School in Gainesville as a sophomore and junior before moving to IMG Academy in Bradenton for his senior year. He turns 23 in October.

“It’s definitely cool,” Days said of returning to Florida with his parents still living in Gainesville. “Not being far away from my parents. Because being in San Antonio, that’s almost three states away from my parents. My parents are excited, I’m excited. I’m happy I got the opportunity to go to Miami. It’s really almost like a dream come true. Everything is happening full circle. I used to play travel ball down in Miami, so I got friends and just different people that are proud of me down there.”

Two-way contracts do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax and allow for players to be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games, with other game action having to come in the G League. Those on two-way deals are not eligible to take part in the NBA playoffs.

NBA teams are allowed to carry up to 20 players under contract in the offseason and preseason. The Heat’s roster for this upcoming season currently includes 18 players — 13 on standard contracts, Garrett and Days on two-way deals, and three players on Exhibit 10 contracts.

Rosters must be cut to a maximum total of 17 players (15 on standard contracts and two on two-way contracts) by the start of the regular season.

“Just go get in the best shape of my life,” Days said of what the coming weeks and months will look like for him in Miami. “Cut down this weight, just look better, just feel a little bit better. Go work out, get in the gym.”

OTHER SUMMER LEAGUE THINGS TO KNOW

▪ A quad contusion forced Jovic to miss the Heat’s final four summer league games.

When Jovic was available, he flashed the skills that made him a first-round pick in this year’s draft. But it was also evident that the Serbian rookie forward will probably need time to develop before the Heat can rely on him to play consistent minutes in the NBA.

Jovic, who turned 19 last month, averaged 8.5 points on 13-of-31 (41.9 percent) shooting from the field and 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) shooting on threes and five rebounds in four games before a quad injury cut his summer league short.

But most of that production came in one game, when Jovic recorded 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range and nine rebounds in a July 5 win over the Golden State Warriors’ summer squad. Jovic totaled just nine points on 4-of-15 (26.7 percent) shooting from the field and 1-of-7 shooting on threes in the other three summer league games he appeared in.

▪ Based on how solid forward Haywood Highsmith looked in summer league, he could have an opportunity to be a consistent member of the Heat’s frontcourt rotation this upcoming season.

Highsmith, who is on a partially guaranteed standard contract with the Heat for next season, averaged 12.2 points while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 9 of 32 (28.1 percent) on threes, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks in six summer league games.

There’s nothing flashy about Highsmith’s game, but the 25-year-old is able to make an impact on offense without having the ball in his hands and projects to be a versatile defender who fits the Heat’s switch heavy scheme.

▪ Heat center Omer Yurtseven, who was a summer league revelation last year, did not play in summer league this year. He was on Miami’s summer roster, but a quad injury kept him out of game action after he played for the Turkish national team in a World Cup qualifier game last month.

Yurtseven is on a fully guaranteed contract and on track to be on the Heat’s 15-man roster this upcoming season.

▪ Three undrafted players on the Heat’s summer league roster — guard Jamaree Bouyea, forward Jamal Cain and center Orlando Robinson — impressed enough to earn Exhibit 10 contracts from Miami. An Exhibit 10 deal typically represents an invite to training camp and an opportunity to compete for one of the team’s two-way deals, and the Heat is expected to have room to add one more Exhibit 10 player before training camp.

▪ Guard Kyle Allman Jr., who spent the last few seasons playing overseas after going undrafted out of Cal State Fullerton in 2019, also stood out as a member of the Heat’s summer league team. He closed summer action by leading Miami to Saturday’s win over the Clippers with 26 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks.

Allman is only on a summer contract with the Heat and could opt to continue his international basketball career.