Ryan Conwell dropped 20 points on the Cleveland Cavaliers, completely flipping the conversation around Miami’s backcourt. This rookie isn’t just taking up minutes, he’s making massive plays exactly when the team needs them most. The Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman nailed it, calling Conwell a valuable second-round selection, and the numbers from Friday night back him up big time.
Conwell’s Recent Surge Is No Fluke
Against the Cavs, Conwell finished with five rebounds while shooting 6-for-12 from the field and an impressive 4-for-9 from deep. This wasn’t some one-off performance, either. Over his last four games, Conwell’s averaging 11 points and hitting 40 percent of his threes. The Heat went 3-1 during this specific stretch, proving his impact on the win column.
Think about it, Pelle Larsson and Klay Thompson were out on Friday night, leaving a huge hole in the lineup. Conwell stepped up and logged 33 minutes, playing more than any Heat player aside from Bam Adebayo and Davion Mitchell. That heavy workload shows exactly how much the coaching staff trusts him right now. Ira Winderman from the Sun Sentinel pointed out that comparing Conwell to Kasparas Jakucionis is like comparing apples to oranges. Jakucionis is more of a point guard, but Conwell operates as an undersized scorer who can create his own shot. This distinction isn’t just trivia, Miami absolutely needs someone who can score when defenses collapse on their other guys.
Miami’s Point Guard Headache Is Still Brutal
Even with Conwell’s strong showing, the Heat are facing a tough reality about their backcourt. Ira Winderman highlighted that insufficient depth at the point guard spot continues to be a major concern for Miami. During Friday’s matchup, Erik Spoelstra had some serious difficulty resting Davion Mitchell, while Dru Smith contributed little in his short appearance. The cold, hard truth? The Heat probably need point guard depth more than any other position on the roster. Conwell is a scoring spark, but he can’t fix that specific positional void alone.
A Comp Pick From a Gambling Scandal?
The story of how Conwell even landed in Miami adds another wild layer to his value. Turns out, he was a compensatory second-round pick the Heat got from the Hornets. Why? Because the Hornets apparently didn’t fully inform Miami about the depth of the gambling investigation concerning Terry Rozier before that trade went down. Talk about a silver lining from a messy situation, right? That pick turned into a player who arrived exactly when needed.
Some fans might try to compare Conwell’s future value to the first-round pick the Hornets still hold from that Rozier trade, which is top-14 protected in June and otherwise unprotected in 2028. But let’s be real, a more fitting comparison for Ryan could be whatever asset the Hornets eventually acquire from *that* future first-round selection. Right now, Conwell is a known quantity, impacting games.
So what’s next for the Heat? They’ve definitely got a gem in Conwell, a guy who can get buckets when the veterans are sidelined. But until they figure out that point guard depth, every night is going to be a tightrope walk for Coach Spoelstra. Keep your eyes on Conwell, though. This kid is making noise and he’s not going anywhere.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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