Vlad Goldin makes strong first impression on Heat in summer league: ‘He plays so freakin' hard'
After all, Goldin averaged a pedestrian 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and one block per game in his six appearances with the Heat during this year's summer league. But Goldin still made a strong first impression on Heat coaches during his first summer league with the organization.
'Vlad was really good for us,' Heat assistant coach and summer league head coach Eric Glass said of Goldin's showing. 'He plays so freakin' hard out there. He plays so physically. You'd like to have him on the floor even longer, but he goes so hard, sometimes he burns himself out. That's why we love him.'
That's also why the Heat signed Goldin to a two-way contract shortly after he went undrafted out of Michigan last month.
A look beyond the surface-level stats reveals that Goldin was efficient in his looks around the basket with a two-point field-goal percentage of 66.7%, effective on the offensive glass with eight offensive rebounds in six games and recorded an excellent plus/minus of plus-41 in his 105 minutes of playing time during summer league.
Goldin also seemed to get better as summer league went on, turning in his best performance in the Heat's final game. He totaled 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line, 10 rebounds and four blocks in the Heat's summer league finale on Friday in Las Vegas.
'It has been amazing,' Goldin, 24, said of his first summer league experience with the Heat. 'It's a completely different style of basketball compared to what I played the last four years. So it definitely takes a little bit more time to adjust. Simple things like now it's 24 seconds on the shot clock instead of 30 seconds, the three-second violation on offense and defense.
'So it has been great to be able to adjust because everybody is helping so much, trying to explain where to go and how to go. Everybody is so cooperative, so I think they made it so much easier compared to what it would be if I would be trying to do it on my own.'
Goldin brings plus size to the center position at 7-1 and 250 pounds with a 7-5 wingspan, and steadily improved throughout his five-year college career.
Goldin, who is from Russia, spent his first college season at Texas Tech before spending time in South Florida at Florida Atlantic for the next three seasons. He was the starting center on the FAU team that made an improbable run to the Final Four in 2023 before losing to San Diego State in the national semifinals.
Goldin then followed former FAU coach Dusty May to Michigan, where he averaged 16.6 points, seven rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 60.7% from the field and 11 of 33 (33.3%) on threes as a fifth-year senior last season.
The scouting report on Goldin indicates he's a solid screener, an efficient player around the basket and a quality offensive rebounder. He shot an impressive 69.3% at the rim in half-court situations and averaged 2.4 offensive rebounds per game last season at Michigan.
But Goldin didn't take many three-pointers in college and was just 0 of 1 from three-point range during his six summer league appearances with the Heat. There are also questions about his defense at the NBA level.
'I mean, he's big,' Glass said when asked about Goldin's NBA fit. 'He'll be the biggest guy on our roster. He's probably the same height as Kel'el [Ware], but he's much bigger muscular-wise. He's a big voice. I hate comparing players, but if you remember Meyers Leonard, where he just got that big barrel-chested voice that just echoed through the gym, which is so important for your five-man to be able to communicate like that and set the defense. Those are two things I love.
'We've been on him about his rebounding. ... So if he can continue to do that and roll to the basket and do all those kinds of things, it'll be just fine.'
Goldin adds much-needed size to the Heat's roster, as the Heat's center depth is currently limited to Bam Adebayo and Ware. If Adebayo and Ware start together this upcoming season like they did for much of the second half of last season, Goldin will be Miami's only reserve center as long as he's not in the G League as part of his two-way deal.
Two-way contracts, which pay half the NBA rookie minimum and do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax, allow for players to be on their NBA team's active list for as many as 50 regular-season games with other game action having to come in the G League. Two-way deals can be swapped out at any time and do not come with playoff eligibility.
'As a player, we always dream about playing in the NBA, having minutes and being the key player,' Goldin said when asked about the possibility of playing minutes as an undrafted rookie due to the Heat's lack of depth at center. 'I'm not the exception. I dream about that, too. I'm going to do everything to win as many games and try to benefit this team. If that's going to be my role, I'm going to accept my role.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gleyber Torres' three-run home run (10)
Gleyber Torres hits a 403-foot three-run home run to right-center field, scoring Dillon Dingler and Parker Meadows to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the 3rd inning
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Chicago Bulls, coach Billy Donovan agree to contract extension, per report
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has agreed to a contract extension with the franchise, ESPN reported Sunday, July 27. Donovan, who has been the Bulls' coach since 2020-21, is 195-205 in his five seasons with Chicago and is entering his 11th season as NBA coach, spending his first five seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bulls were 39-43 last season and finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. They lost to the Miami Heat in the play-in game. Chicago has been to the playoffs once under Donovan – a first-round loss to Milwaukee after going 46-36 in 2021-22. Donovan won two NCAA men's basketball national titles at Florida in 2006 and 2007 and played in a Final Four in 2014. He took the Oklahoma City job in 2015 and has been in the NBA since. Why did Billy Donovan get a contract extension? The Bulls like stability, and Donovan provides that with his coaching and relationships with players, front office and ownership. Donovan enjoys coaching in the NBA and living in Chicago. The two sides have been working on extension for months, and at the trade deadline in February, Donovan told reporters, "I want to be part of building something." The New York Knicks requested permission to speak with Donovan about their previously open head coaching position but were denied. Which direction are the Bulls headed? As the Eastern Conference improves with teams such as the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic moving toward deep playoff runs alongside Cleveland, New York, Indiana, Milwaukee and Boston, the Bulls seem stuck in neutral. They were 39-43 in 2023-24 and 40-42 in 2022-23. They have tried to make playoff runs with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nik Vucevic, Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball. Injuries, especially Ball missing two seasons, derailed Chicago's plans, and only Vucevic remains on the roster. Chicago has young talent it is trying to develop, including Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 pick in the 2024 draft, and Noa Essengue, the No. 12 pick in the 2025 draft. They are also working to bring back restricted free agent Josh Giddey on a long-term deal.
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
Slumping Tigers, Rising Challenges -- Meeting Adversity Head On
Manager A.J. Hinch #14 of the Detroit Tigers Slump! One of the words that bedevils teams at every level, but particularly in professional baseball, is in part because the season is so long. Players experience them individually. Teams go through them collectively. There's an old saying that says baseball is like life, only more so. And that's why watching how teams cohere, compete to win, and continue to persevere through the highs and the lows of the season makes it so instructive. And often it's when times are most challenging that the best lessons emerge. Slump in D-town Take the Detroit Tigers. After a surprising finish last season, which saw them make it to the Division playoffs, the Tigers maintained their pace, posting the best record in Major League Baseball until just before and after All-Star Game when they went won one game in 13 tries. What can be done? Evan Petzold, beat writer for the Detroit Free Press, did an extended interview with manager A.J. Hinch. His answers will reflect his long career in the game, as a World Series-winning manager with the Houston Astros, a catcher, and, yes, a psychology major at Stanford. Face reality Facing reality does not mean accepting it. 'You can write a laundry list of things when teams aren't going well about what's going wrong.' Knowing what's wrong does not mean you can fix it right away. "It's hard enough to press the reset button after a good time, where you win a series… The morale is good, but it's tough on these guys.' Competition is not going to make recovery from a slump easy. 'Baseball is going to push back a little bit and make you play the next day and the next day and the next day.' No teams 'we play [are] going to feel sorry for us. We've got to play better." Hinch likes what he sees in his players. "We're not pouting and sulking… There's a ton of togetherness. There's a ton of guys trying to find solutions." He adds something that every manager in any endeavor says: that it's not effort, it's "execution." And that is hard. Lessons to learn All of us face slumps, times when no matter how hard we try, we cannot seem to make a difference. And so, when that happens, it is essential, as Hinch reveals, to take stock of who you are, what you can do, and what you need to do to improve and make changes when possible. Above all, you need to believe in yourself. Losing confidence erodes your ability to bounce back. Hinch himself is no stranger to adversity. After winning the World Series with the Astros, he was suspended for one year for not doing enough to prevent his players from using video technology to steal signs from opposing teams. While he disapproved of what his players were doing, he accepted the consequences. 'Because wrong is wrong, and it was very wrong, and I'll make sure that everyone knows that I feel responsible. Because I was the manager and it was on my watch, and I'll never forget it.' That mindset no doubt gives Hinch a perspective on resilience that is essential for leading through tough times. As a fan, I hold out hope that the Tigers will regain their poise and continue on their winning ways. As a student of leadership, I am sure that the lessons managers like A.J. Hinch share will be valuable to anyone in management. After all, Hinch believes in his players. 'We're trying to keep our chins up, keep our chest out and realize we're still a first-place team. We're one good win away from potentially taking off again."
