Miami Heat assigns Marcus Garrett to Sioux Falls Skyforce as part of two-way contract

The Miami Heat is sending one of its two-way contract players to the G League.

The Heat assigned guard Marcus Garrett to its developmental affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, as part of his two-way deal Tuesday. The Skyforce and teams around the G League open training camp this week.

“We’ll continue to use our player development program in all the different facets to how we see fit,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said earlier this month when asked whether the plan was to send Garrett to the G League for further development. “Whatever we think makes the most sense during that particular time.”

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The Heat’s other two-way contract player, wing Caleb Martin, remains with Miami as it travels to face the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun).

With Garrett now heading to the G League, guard Victor Oladipo is the only other Heat player on the injury report for Wednesday’s contest. Oladipo remains out as he continues to recover from May knee surgery.

The Nets’ injury report only includes star guard Kyrie Irving, who is ineligible to play because he is not vaccinated.

Garrett, an undrafted guard out of Kansas, signed to a two-way deal with the Heat on Sept. 1. He arrived to Miami as an accomplished defensive force on the college level, as he was named the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and finished as a finalist for the award last season. At 6-5 and 205 pounds, his wingspan has been measured at 6-10.

Garrett’s defense did not disappoint as a member of the Heat’s summer league this year, when he averaged 3.3 steals and 0.8 blocks in his four full summer league games.

But Garrett, 22, was limited to just three preseason games because of lower back spasms. He totaled seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and made his only three-point attempt, five rebounds, six assists and one steal in 22 preseason minutes.

The next step in Garrett’s development will be growing his offensive game and improving his outside shot after he made 30.2 percent of his threes during his four-year college career. He knows he can make an immediate impact on defense, but noted that “shooting, reading and learning how to run the team” has been a focus for him in the Heat’s program.

Players on two-way contracts like Garrett can be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games this season.

Garrett was active for each of the Heat’s first three regular-season games and appeared in two of them late in blowout wins. He missed his only shot attempt, but totaled two assists in seven minutes in those two games.

The Skyforce announced its 16-man training camp roster on Tuesday. It includes the four Exhibit 10 players that the Heat cut at the end of the preseason: Micah Potter, Javonte Smart, Dru Smith and D.J. Stewart.

The Skyforce’s camp roster also includes Garrett, Martin, Brandon Knight, Michael Smith, Jay Henderson, Jimma Gatwech, Kieran Hayward, Antwain Johnson, Trey Mourning, Martin Krampelj, Ron Artest III and Joel Ntambwe. But Martin remains with the Heat.

Mourning attended Miami Ransom Everglades School and is the son of Heat executive and former center Alonzo Mourning. Artest is the son of Metta World Peace, who played 17 seasons in the NBA.