Takeaways, details from the Heat’s Summer League loss in Sacramento

Takeaways from the Heat’s 95-83 Summer League loss against the Kings on Wednesday night at Golden1 Center in Sacramento:

▪ Nikola Jovic shook off an 0 for 4 start and continued to show an improved overall game, with 22 points after scoring 21 on Monday.

The good news with Jovic is he’s hitting his threes and consistently getting to the basket against summer league competition. And he drew fouls on three of those drives on Wednesday.

Before a game in Sacramento last season, Erik Spoelstra said 235 pounds would be a good target weight for Jovic. The second-year forward has actually topped that, filling out from 220 pounds last October to 240 now. And his improved strength is evident.

But his touch around the rim needs polishing. He missed all four of his shots in the basket area in the first half.

On the positive side, Jovic hit 3 of 5 threes and is now 5 for 9 on threes in summer league, after hitting 8 for 35 (22.9 percent) as a rookie.

Jovic closed with 22 points in 25 minutes, shooting 6 for 13, and adding three rebounds, an assist and a steal, with two turnovers.

“I thought he was great,” Heat Summer League coach Caron Butler said.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., selected 18th overall last month, and Jovic - who went 27th in last year’s draft - couldn’t keep up with Kings guard Keegan Murray, the fourth overall pick of the 2022 draft who averaged 12.2 points last season.

Murray - by far the best player on the floor on Wednesday - scored 19 in the first half and 41 for the game.

“He is a stud, hell of a player, hell of a talent,” Butler said. “We knew he would be out there shooting with an ultra green light.”

▪ Jaquez, who was masterful in his debut, had a much tougher time in limited minutes in his second game.

Jaquez opened 0 for 3 and committed two turnovers early - one when he stepped out of bounds and another when he made a bad pass that led to a Kings basket in transition. He had one layup blocked and missed another when he found himself shooting at a bad angle.

A corner three was his only basket of the game.

He didn’t play much in the second half and closed 1 for 6 from the field, with four points, in 16 minutes, with three turnovers, a rebound, a steal and two assists.

Jaquez took a shot to the shoulder on a first-half drive to the basket but shook it off and hit one of two free throws.

Butler said the shoulder wasn’t the reason he didn’t play much after halftime.

“We had a rotation we wanted to stick with and see 12 to 13 guys,” Butler said. “We’ll find out more about the arm.”

▪ The Heat’s two two-way players, Dru Smith and Jamaree Bouyea, had some good moments.

Smith scored all nine of his points in the first half, five on free throws but committed three turnovers in 21 minutes.

Bouyea flashed his quickness on both ends of the court, making three steals and chipping in nine points on 3 for 6 shooting and four assists in 17 minutes.

“They’re exceptional guys that like playing with each other,” Butler said. “Similar to Kyle [Lowry] and Gabe [Vincent], where we put them in the slot and let them pick apart defenses. Dru is a bigger body, can guard the two position as well. I love seeing them out there in tandem.”

Players on two-way contracts aren’t assured of keeping those contracts to begin the season. So Smith and Bouyea will need decent summers to continue to validate the Heat’s investment in them.

▪ Jamal Cain made his Summer League debut and was active.

Cain - who was on a Heat two-way contract last season - missed Monday’s game with a sprained ankle but seemed fully recovered Wednesday, driving the baseline for a thunderous dunk early on.

Cain, who appeared in 18 games for the Heat last season, scored 17 on 7 for 10 shooting and added six boards and a steal.

“It felt good to be out there with the guys and competing,” Cain said.

Because the Heat made a qualifying offer for Cain, Miami maintains his rights. The Heat could sign him to a two-way contract or possibly, a standard contract.

Orlando Robinson, who was on a two-way deal last year and is now on a standard contract with Miami, had an unremarkable night (7 points, 5 boards in 19 minutes). Murray blocked a Robinson shot when the Heat center barely got off the ground. And Robinson, who shot 2 for 6 from the field, was stripped during another sequence when he got careless with the ball.

▪ Butler gave minutes to five undrafted rookies and two others hoping for an NBA chance.

Southern Cal rookie Drew Peterson started for the second consecutive game, alongside Smith, Jovic, Jaquez and Robinson. And the production was again modest – two points in 16 minutes after a four-point, 23-minute debut.

Butler gave 15 minutes to Marist rookie center Patrick Gardner, who hit a turnaround jumper and a three-pointer and grabbed four boards on a six-point night.

A 12-minute stint by Western Illinois guard Trenton Massner wasn’t especially impressive; he went scoreless, drew four fouls and was a minus 15.

And Northwestern undrafted rookie Chase Audige, who had 18 points in 20 minutes on Monday, was 0 for 4 in 10 minutes on Wednesday.

Swing guard Alondes Williams - undrafted out of Wake Forest a year ago - hit 3 of 4 shots in the second half. He was on a Nets two-way contract last year before being released in January.

Butler played journeyman center Brandon McCoy for half of the fourth quarter, and the results weren’t particularly good. Undrafted out of UNLV in 2018, McCoy has never played in the NBA but spent a couple months with the Heat’s G-League team last year.

Former Washington State rookie sharpshooter Justin Powell logged two minutes, and missed his only three-point attempt, after not playing on Monday.

Butler didn’t play Utah State rookie Taylor Funk, who scored 13 points in 16 minutes on Monday.

The Heat finished 1-1 in the California Classic in Sacramento.

The Heat now moves on to the Las Vegas Summer League, where it will play at least five games, beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday against Boston on NBA TV.