LAS VEGAS — This is the time of year when lines can get blurred, with competition often internal during summer league.
That is what has made this past week-plus so intriguing in the Miami Heat’s backcourt. Guards Jahmir Young and Trevor Keels are competing for the same thing, be it a shot at the Heat’s standard roster, a two-way contract or perhaps even just an invitation to training camp.
Yes, Erik Spoelstra assistant Wayne Ellington is pushing for victory, but at this time of the year that can be secondary to individual hunger.
But not, apparently, to Keel and Young, a pair of players who have a previous taste of the NBA life and are looking to get back again … perhaps even together.
“He’s a worker. He’s from my area. Two DMV guys from P.G. County,” Keels said of the Prince George’s County products from the District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia metropolitan area. “We came from the same AAU program, Team Takeover.
“The work has been in us since we were little. We’ve got the same trainer, so I know him. We know each other. We know it’s a grind, but we embrace it.”
Both are grinding toward the same goal, with the Heat to resume their summer schedule Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern against the Cleveland Cavaliers back on the UNLV campus at the Las Vegas NBA Summer League.
Saturday, the chance came for both to show off their best in the matchup against the Orlando Magic, with Ellington giving the day off to second-round pick Ryan Conwell and undrafted guard Tre Donaldson, a pair already under contract to the Heat for next season.
So Keels and Young got busy in the loss, with Keels closing with 32 points, Young with 27, particularly impressive efforts with the Magic’s summer roster featuring a significant degree of NBA talent.
“That means a lot for those guys,” said Ellington, who was glad to provide the canvas. “You know, that just shows the type of players they are, the type of people they are, and their approach to the game every day. You know, those guys are professionals, they work their butts off, and I’m proud of them.”
Both playing with the same goal in mind, still unsure if there will be a Heat future for one, both or neither, after the two finished this past season on the Heat roster, Keels on a two-way deal, Young on a standard contract.
“I mean, we’ve worked together for a while,” Young said. “We’re both from the DMV area. We work out together at home. So, you know, I love to see him do well.”
Monday, the focus likely will return to Conwell, and perhaps Donaldson, as well, after the two watched Saturday’s game in street clothes.
But that doesn’t lessen the significance of this final week of summer ball for Keels and Young, be it to impress the Heat or another team.
“It’s an opportunity. The coaches are here and I just want to put my best foot forward,” Young said.
“I hope,” said Keels, who overcame a knee injury early in Saturday’s loss, “I’m making the coaches proud with my work.”
In that regard, the coaches already are impressed. With neither having their options picked up by that late-June deadline, both could have moved on elsewhere.
Instead, no guarantees from the Heat — just hope.
“I think it really shows that both of those guys are about the right stuff, right?” Ellington said. “They want to be here. They want to be here. They like it here. And they’re both competitors.
“I spoke to them after their options weren’t picked up, and they’re like, ‘we still want to come to summer league.’ They still want to be a part of this thing. And I really appreciate that.”