UNLV Rebel guard Bryce Hamilton (13) is shown during practice in Mendenhall Center at UNLV Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021.
Sunday, July 10, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Bryce Hamilton was basically a walking bucket in a Scarlet and Gray uniform. He made 660 field goals during his time at UNLV, and after four years, he graduated as one of the top 10 scorers in school history. So, he has a well-established ability to put the ball through the hoop.
It wasn’t enough to get him drafted.
Hamilton didn’t hear his name called on draft night and eventually settled for a summer league deal with the Miami Heat. In order to take the next step and succeed at the professional level, Hamilton knows it’s not necessarily going to be his scoring prowess, but the other aspects of his game that ultimately make the difference.
That’s where Hamilton put his focus Saturday, when his Heat squad took on the Boston Celtics at Cox Pavilion. He played only three minutes and didn’t attempt a single shot — something that only happened once during his 119 career games at UNLV — but afterward, Hamilton said he’s not hunting for his own looks.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard wants to use the summer league to demonstrate all the other ways he can add value to an NBA roster.
“Show them how much of a defender and energizer I can be coming off the bench,” Hamilton said. “A lot of people know I can score the ball pretty well, but being able to come in and bring energy on the defensive end and rebound and make winning plays, that’s something I want to show.”
Unlike during his big man on campus days, Hamilton is not the focal point of Miami’s offense; far from it. In three games at the California Classic Summer League last week, Hamilton logged 39 minutes and tallied 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
In his roughly three minutes Saturday, he handled the ball only twice. On the first possession, he threw an entry pass into the post, and on the second play, Hamilton had his dribble tipped away by a defender, though one of his Miami teammates was able to retain possession.
Despite a zero in the points column, Hamilton was all smiles in his postgame press conference, happy to finally be living out his pro basketball dream after two years of flirting with the draft.
“It’s been amazing so far,” Hamilton said. “Not everybody gets this opportunity, so to be in this position, I’m just really happy to be here and just soaking everything in and enjoying every moment.”
Though Hamilton played four years at UNLV, he is actually a native of Pasadena, Calif., while Heat teammate Orlando Robinson claims Las Vegas as his hometown. That has led to a lighthearted competition between the two this week as they jostle to be “the Vegas guy.”
Hamilton said he was able to direct two teammates to a good local barbershop this week, but conceded that Robinson has the upper hand when it comes to institutional civic knowledge.
“People think I’m the one that’s really from Las Vegas,” he said, “but this is Orlando’s city.”
Hamilton does plan to take the opportunity to catch up with his UNLV connections, including coach Kevin Kruger, former teammates and the team personnel still here.
He may not be playing the same style of basketball that made him a superstar at UNLV, but Hamilton said he’ll always be connected to the community.
“I miss it a lot, being in Vegas.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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