When you get right down to it, summer leagues are all about chances.
There are chances for draft picks to shine, for overlooked talent to sprout up out of the cracks in the sidewalk and for coaches to climb the ladder.
Juwan Howard is not only getting his first chance to lead the Miami Heat entry in the Orlando Pro Summer, but also getting a chance to coach his son, Juwan Jr.
“I know people say things like this all the time, but it really is a dream come true to be able to go out there on a professional basketball court and coach my own son,” said the 19-year NBA veteran, whose team whipped the Knicks 74-48 on Sunday for a 2-0 start.
He’s been an assistant on Erik Spoelstra’s Miami staff for the past three seasons and building toward this chance.
“I have a passion for the game of basketball and that’s why I’m here in coaching. As a former player, I’ve always seen the game from one level. Now I’m at a different level and I’m learning to see the game almost from a different set of eyes, a whole brand new viewpoint.”
What fills Howard with pride is seeing son Juwan Jr. playing the game that has been passed down to a new generation through the years.
“This is an opportunity, a chance, that I’ve been thinking about and picturing in my mind ever since I was a little kid, hanging around different teams, like the Magic or the Heat, with my dad,” said Juwan Jr.
The 6-6 guard came off the bench against the Knicks and made the most of his 14 minutes, hitting 6-for-8 from the field ? including 3-for-4 behind the arc ? to lead the Heat with 17 points.
“Overall I thought he played good,” said Howard Sr. “He made some good decisions out there. I think there’s always room for improvement. He did a good job of attacking the basket. He took the open shot when it was available, knocked it down. Good to see the ball go in the net for him. I know it boosts his confidence.”
Seeing his 24-year-old offspring running around also boosts the elder Howard’s awareness of the passing of time.
“It makes me feel old,” he said.
It also makes Howard do the juggling father/coach act as evenhandedly as possible.
“I’m always proud of him, no matter what. That’s my son. I love him,” Howard said. “As far as coaching him, yeah, it’s challenging. But I coach him just like I coach any other player. I think my staff sometimes thinks I’m harder on him than on others. It’s just holding him accountable. He has to do his job, (hold up) his end of the bargain. Then from there fill in the voids.”
One of those voids came in the summer league opener on Saturday when Junior didn’t get off the bench.
“Man, yesterday it was hard for me to talk to him,” said the son. “When I didn’t get in, yeah, it was hard for me. But I’m just glad to be here…He’s helped me a lot. He and my mom both played basketball and have been a big help.”
The father, of course, played nearly two NBA decades with nine different teams and won a pair of championships with the Heat. The son played three seasons at Detroit Mercy after transferring from Western Michigan. He went undrafted in 2015 and returned to the U.S. after a stay in Spain when broken a bone in his left foot ended his season and now that has brought him into the Heat camp.
Miami point guard Briante Weber chuckled when asked to describe the dynamic that goes on between the two generations of Howards.
“It’s definitely fun,” Weber said. “You can see the dad moments come out in him and how he just wants to say some things that he can’t say out on the court that he can say at home. You can see the filter that he has to hold back on. That’s definitely funny.”
“Over the years my dad has always stayed even keel with me, but he’s always been real and I try to take that approach,” Junior said. “He’s never going to be light and take it easy on me. He’s going to tell me the truth. If I deserve to play or not play, he’s going to make the right decision. I can always trust that.”
Fran Blinebury has covered the NBA since 1977. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter.
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