James Ennis could parlay a strong summer league into a Heat roster spot for the upcoming season. (Getty Images)
One part of NBA summer league is looking for players who seem too good to be there.
Sometimes they are obvious — Mason Plumlee is playing in Orlando despite being a part-time starter for Brooklyn last season — and sometimes surprises emerge. For most people, Heat small forward James Ennis has come out of nowhere.
Granted the summer league competition is severely watered down compared to regular NBA rosters, but Ennis has been arguably the best player in Orlando so far. He started with 18 points and eight rebounds Saturday and followed it with 29 points on 10-for-12 shooting (7 of 8 3-pointers) the next night.
He had a quiet performance in Tuesday’s 80-78 loss to Detroit with four points on 1-for-6 shooting and seven rebounds.
The Heat got Ennis as a second-round draft pick a year ago and retained his rights while he played in Australia and Puerto Rico. They anticipated he would be in position to make the team for the 2014-15 season.
At this point, it is impossible to predict whether he will make it because the Heat are still assembling their roster. The only players currently on the team for next season are Shabazz Napier, Norris Cole, Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger.
“He looks like he’s taken the next step and at least put himself in that discussion,” said Miami assistant Dan Craig, who is the head coach during summer leagues.
The next chance to watch Ennis is against Indiana on Thursday (3 p.m., NBA TV).
