The Miami Heat have been notorious for finding unheralded players that end up playing huge roles. Max Strus and Gabe Vincent both went undrafted yet were starters on the Miami team that reached the NBA Finals in 2023. Duncan Robinson, also undrafted, has become one of the top three-point shooters. Haywood Highsmith has had a role with the team after going undrafted.
The next undrafted ‘diamond in the rough’ player was looking to be like Dru Smith. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old guard sustained a lower left leg injury on Monday. The injury is a torn Achilles, which will end his season.
While he didn’t go undrafted, could Josh Christopher fill his role as another unheralded Heat player to play a large role?
Josh Christopher Candidate To Take Role Of Injured Heat Guard
Christopher Took Off In Summer League
The recently-turned 23-year-old Christopher really made the Heat take notice of him at this year’s Summer League. In six games in Las Vegas, he averaged 19.3 points while shooting 40-74 (54.1%) from the field, 21-40 (52.5%) from beyond the arc, and a perfect 15-15 from the free-throw line. Miami went undefeated at 6-0 in the Las Vegas Summer League and won the finals over the Memphis Grizzlies in overtime, 120-118. In the finals, Christopher dropped 24 points while adding three steals and two blocks.
Just a few days after that game, the Heat signed the 6-foot-5 guard to a two-way contract. For most of this season, he has been playing for the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. In 17 games for them, Christopher is putting up outstanding averages of 26.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.4 steals. He finally debuted for the Heat on Monday, playing two minutes of garbage time in their win over the Brooklyn Nets.
The G League recently had their Winter Showcase. Christopher was named to the All-Showcase Team along with Jahlil Okafor, T.J. Warren, Leonard Miller, and Jahmir Young. John Hollinger of The Athletic wrote about his takeaways from the Winter Showcase, and this is what he said about Christopher,
“Leading the way was the Miami Heat’s Josh Christopher, who was the best player I saw at the entire event. He played three games for Sioux Falls as the Skyforce made the final before losing to Westchester, averaging 31 points and six rebounds. The 2021 Houston Rockets first-rounder is a top-notch athlete who could succumb to bouts of tunnel vision, but he’s straightened out his decision-making (and shooting) enough to make his athleticism a real problem. Given Miami’s current malaise, you wonder when the Heat might turn to him for real minutes.”
After Smith’s injury, the time to turn to him may be now.
Did Not Play In NBA Last Season
The Houston Rockets selected Christopher with the 21st overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. While he was a part of the rotation in his first two seasons, the Rockets weren’t good as they combined to go 42-122. Christopher struggled from outside connecting on just 27.7% of his three-point tries for Houston.
Christopher was involved in a five-team trade in July of 2023 which shipped him to Memphis. The Grizzlies released him prior to the season beginning, and he spent all of last season playing in the G League.
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