Malik Allen to serve as Miami Heat summer league head coach. Here’s what to know
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The Miami Heat is turning to assistant coach Malik Allen to lead its summer league team this year.
After Eric Glass served as the Heat’s summer league head coach in 2018 and 2019, Allen will fill that role this year when the Heat opens summer league play in the third annual California Classic on Aug. 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers. There was no summer league action last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After playing two games in Sacramento as part of the California Classic on Aug. 3 and 4, the Heat will take part in the Las Vegas Summer League that will be held from Aug. 8-17.
Allen, 43, is entering his third season as a Heat assistant coach on Erik Spoelstra’s staff. Allen was hired by Miami when Juwan Howard moved on to become the head coach at the University of Michigan.
Spoelstra’s staff last season included Allen, Chris Quinn and Caron Butler as assistant coaches, Octavio De La Grana as an assistant/player development coach, Anthony Carter as a player development coach and Rob Fodor as a shooting/player development coach. Quinn has served as the Heat summer league head coach in the past.
Allen also played for the Heat, as he spent the first three-plus seasons of his 10-year NBA playing career with the Heat after signing with Miami in 2001 as an undrafted free agent.
It’s still unclear who will be on the Heat’s summer league team this year, with Miami’s young trio of Precious Achiuwa, KZ Okpala and Gabe Vincent currently playing for Nigeria in the Tokyo Olympics. There’s a chance Achiuwa, Okpala and Vincent could be back in Las Vegas to take part in summer league with the Heat if Nigeria does not advance past group play, which concludes Aug. 1.
Max Strus, who spent last season as one of the Heat’s two-way contract players, is an obvious candidate to fill a spot on Miami’s summer league roster. But, as of now, there won’t be a draft pick who’s on the team because the Heat does not currently have a selection in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
