Summer League Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat – Game #1

The San Antonio Spurs staged a late comeback but ultimately lost their summer league opener to the Miami Heat by a final score of 88-87. The Spurs didn’t have Jayden Quaintance or Carter Bryant, but they did have three members of their 2026 draft class: Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26, Ja’Kobi Gillespie at No. 42 and Maliq Brown at No. 44. Quaintance is sitting out all of summer league due to a knee injury but Bryant will play once the scene shifts to Las Vegas.

Stats: Spurs vs. Heat

Spurs vs. Heat – Final Grades

Tarris Reed Jr.

The good: Reed grabbed a few rebounds in traffic, flashed advanced court vision and was as strong as advertised. His touch was decent and he hit his free throws. The bad: Reed looked timid at times going up against seven-footers. He was too unselfish and passed when he had opportunities. Reed sometimes didn’t attempt to rebound or protect the rim when there was an opportunity to at least give effort. He airballed a three-pointer on one of his first touches and then never looked to shoot from deep again. Overall: It was an okay-ish showing but he’ll need to learn how to use his body against height and his motor needs to run hotter.

Grade: C

Ja’Kobi Gillespie

It’s tough to say a whole lot of good about a dude who shot 2-for-8 on three-pointers and 1-for-9 on two-pointers — but Gillespie was better than those numbers suggest. Most of his misses were good looks. His ball-handling was good, he got to his spots, he operated with patience and was rarely in a rush. Gillespie finished with eight assists and only one turnover, although his passing wasn’t as good as those numbers suggest. His court vision was iffy at times, as he missed open teammates quite often. Defensively, I liked his activity level and his anticipation.

Grade: C

Maliq Brown

For a guy who was 5-for-30 on three-pointers last season at Duke, his stroke looked pretty good. Although there is a little bit of a hitch, Brown was 2-for-4 on three-pointers. He also had a couple impressive finishes around the rim. For being an offensively challenged prospect, he looked good on that end in his first summer league game. Defensively, Brown didn’t have a huge impact but his fast hands were on display and he clearly has a high IQ for how to operate on that end of the court.

Grade: B+

Emanuel Miller

You might remember Miller’s name for actually being on the big boy Spurs last year. He was on a two-way contract but never played in an NBA game — only down in the G-League. In this game, Miller didn’t have an outing to remember. He obviously has an athletic body that he showed off when driving to the rim, attacking the boards and playing defense. He had three assists but his ball-handling was a struggle, he was inefficient scoring the ball and wasn’t the calming veteran presence that he probably should have been this game.

Grade: C

Miles Kelly

Kelly was the team’s fifth starter — and he did well. He was slithery when going toward the rim. His jumper looked smooth on the perimeter. Kelly’s decision-making was iffy at times but he at least moved like an NBA player. I’m not sure he has legit NBA size but he looked like someone to keep an eye on during this summer league run.

Grade: B+

RJ Davis

Davis looked pretty smooth coming off the bench. His point guard skills have improved since the last time I saw him play. His ball-handling is pretty good and his passes were on target. He was 3-for-5 from downtown and was the only player on the team to not turn the ball over. The lack of size will always limit Davis but this was a good opening game for him.

Grade: B+

Jayden Nunn

Nunn wasn’t much of a prospect coming out of Baylor but he had a strong campaign with the Austin Spurs last season and he was pretty darn good tonight. He was 3-for-5 from the field, including a three-pointer. He also had a bench-high four assists. Defensively, Nunn tallied four steals and a block in only 18 minutes. Let’s see if he can keep up this level of play. If he does, he could get a training camp invite.

Grade: A-

RJ Melendez

First of all, Melendez needs to do something about that combover. His hair was a distraction from what was otherwise a pretty good showing. He hit a pair of three-pointers and looked competent with the ball in his hands. Defensively, he tallied four of the team’s seven blocked shots. Melendez looked more athletic than the last time I watched him play. Let’s hope he finds a barber prior to the next game.

Grade: B+

Hyunjung Lee

The native of South Korea was decent. His three-pointers looked good coming out of his hands but he was only 1-for-3 from deep. He ran the court well, played an unselfish brand of basketball and looked coordinated for his size. Defensively … yeah, that’s going to be a challenge. Lee looks like he could be an NBA level shooter but his defense was pretty darn bad. The Heat attacked him and he couldn’t do much. For his sake, let’s hope he finds ways to survive on that end — at least on the summer league level.

Grade: B-

David Muoka

Muoka has good size and athleticism for a backup center. We’ll see if he plays long enough to truly judge his skill level.

Grade: Inc.

Corliss Williamson

Williamson had a difficult task because the most important developmental pieces were uneven, while several fringe prospects forced their way into bigger roles. To his credit, the rotation mostly made sense and the Spurs were positioned to steal the game late.

Grade: B

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