Erik Spoelstra has high praise for Isaiah Stevens: 'He's a classic point guard.'

The Miami Heat finalized their roster Saturday morning, just hours after their preseason finale against the Memphis Grizzlies.

One of the omissions to the final 17-man group–which included 14 players on standard contracts, plus three two-way players–was point guard Isaiah Stevens, who went undrafted during the 2024 cycle.

While Stevens didn’t put up gaudy numbers during preseason, what he did do was set his teammates up; he made life easier for every player around him, apropos of what made him an intriguing UDFA prospect out of Colorado State.

While he will begin the 2024-25 season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s G-League affiliate, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra raved about his playmaking ability over the weekend.

“He’s such a classic point guard,” Spoelstra said Sunday. “Point guards coming up don’t even know what that means or have any kind of concept or skillset to do that consistently. He can really deliver the ball and make guys look good–on time, on target and also the easy plays and getting guys in rhythm. There’s so many subtle nuances to that.”

He saw a preseason-high 18 minutes against Memphis, recording five assists and one steal while scoring two points on 1-of-4 shooting. Stevens built a strong rapport with Heat first-round rookie Kel’el Ware, who collected myriad dunks and open opportunities when Stevens was conducting the offense.

There’s an argument to be made of Stevens being one of, if not the best passer in the Miami Heat organization. While Dru Smith, Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson currently occupy their three two-way spots, there could be a pathway for Stevens could earn a two-way gig once one of them is eligible to be converted without exceeding the second apron.

However, there’s also the case where Stevens gets plucked by another organization. The Skyforce had nearly a half-dozen players called up for either two-way or 10-day deals last season by other organization, including Jamaree Bouyea, Justin Champagnie and Malik Williams.

He’s a premier offensive orchestrator, a dying skillset in the modern-day NBA. Stevens will have to continue finding places on the floor to hunt shots, as well as improving defensively, where his physical limitations hinder his ceiling. But his most notable skill is very good–and one that could benefit the current Heat roster, should he earn that opportunity.