Will Conwell become next Heat second-round success story? ‘He’s an exceptional shooter already’

Miami Heat admin October 13, 2026 0 Comments

Will Conwell become next Heat second-round success story? ‘He’s an exceptional shooter already’

Second-round draft picks in the NBA don’t always pan out. But the Miami Heat hopes and believes guard Ryan Conwell can join its list of second-round pick success stories.

After developing second-round picks Josh Richardson and Pelle Larsson into NBA rotation players during the past decade, Conwell is the latest second-round project to enter the Heat’s program. Miami traded up to acquire Conwell, 22, with the 37th overall selection in the second round of this year’s draft in June.

“He has the makeup of a player that can not only make it as a second-round pick, but find a way to contribute,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said this week of Conwell. “Second-rounders, it’s tough. A lot of them don’t make it for whatever reason. Usually, I think it’s about fit, the right timing. But one of the biggest qualities is your makeup. To be able to come back every single day and learn and stack positive days. He has that quality about him.”

That quality has already been on display this preseason, as Conwell responded to a quiet start to the preseason with a standout night in the Heat’s third exhibition game in Saturday’s home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With most of the Heat’s rotation regulars held out, Conwell closed Saturday’s preseason defeat with 17 points, four rebounds, nine assists and two steals in 25 minutes.

Conwell still shot just 5 of 14 from the field and 1 of 7 from three-point range in his 17-point preseason performance. But it was his playmaking that stood out as the lead guard for the Heat’s undermanned squad, dishing out nine assists without committing a turnover.

“We feel he has the makeup to be able to weather all these things that will continue to happen when you’re a young player,” Spoelstra continued on Conwell, with the Heat set to play its fourth of five preseason games on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets at Kaseya Center (7:30 p.m., WPLG Local 10). “You can see what he’s made of. He made some big plays in the second half. As he got settled into the game, you could feel his competitive spirit on both ends of the court, and he made some really nice plays.

“Obviously, he had a couple threes that were big, but he made some plays off the dribble. We were running some of the triggers in the fourth quarter for him to make the read, whether it was a shot or get us into something. He did a nice job of that.”

But it’s Conwell’s outside shooting that gives him a real chance to play early in his NBA career, with the Heat in need of three-point shooting around its new leading duo of Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Conwell is shooting just 1 of 13 on threes through the Heat’s first three preseason games, but his college numbers indicate he’s a far better shooter than that.

Conwell averaged 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 40.8% from the field, 34.5% on threes and 83.2% from the foul line as a senior at Louisville. He averaged 9.6 three-point attempts per game last season.

Conwell made 38.4% of his 800-plus three-point attempts during his final three years in college, including 41.1% of his 567 catch-and-shoot threes.

“He’s an exceptional shooter already,” Spoelstra said. “We haven’t had many young players that have come in and been on our leaderboard in shooting or in that conversation. They usually have to adjust to the line and everything. He’s a great shooter. We already know about his competitive nature. That was why we were drawn to him in the draft process. But his ability to find a way just to fit into a lineup I think will serve him well.”

Conwell is already receiving positive feedback from the Heat’s coaching staff.

“They’ve been proud of me for just the way I come in every single day and just my attitude and how I go about things,” Conwell said. “Whether the shots go in or they don’t or whether I make the right plays or not, I think the biggest thing is just keeping the right mindset and just coming with the right energy every single day. And I think the coaches are proud of that. So, I’ve been working on my all-around game with the coaches. Being on the ball, off the ball, knocking down shots, making reads, defense.”

Conwell’s goal is to do whatever he can to help the Heat and earn playing time as a rookie.

“I would definitely say just being the best two-way player I can be,” he said of his mission this season. “Just being able to pick up on the defensive end, disrupt other teams, just do the little things right now.

“Obviously, on this team, we don’t need much help putting the ball in the basket. So, I just got to find my niche and do the little things. Whether that’s chasing after loose balls, getting some rebounds, being in the right spot when I need to be, different things like that. And those are the things I’ve been working on as well. It’s just handling the ball, being able to initiate offense when needed. So, just my overall game. Just trying to be ready.”