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By Anne Erickson
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Jahmir Young picked a pretty good time to remind everyone he belongs in the NBA. With the Miami Heat searching for production and working with a thin roster, the guard stepped up in Las Vegas with the kind of performance that can make people look more than once.
Young poured in 30 points in the Heat's 99-90 loss to the Raptors, giving Miami a much-needed boost on a day when the team's bench managed just 14 points. It wasn't enough to get the win, but Young's performance was hard to ignore.
The scoring outburst came after he posted 27 points in Salt Lake before the Las Vegas Summer League began, showing that this wasn't just a one-game flash. The 25-year-old guard has been building some momentum while trying to earn a clearer role in Miami's rotation.
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Young's path hasn't been the typical one. The Charlotte native went undrafted out of UNC-Charlotte and Maryland, and now he's fighting for a spot in a crowded NBA landscape where opportunities don't exactly come with a guarantee.
At 6 feet tall, Young doesn't have the luxury of being the biggest player on the floor. He has to find other ways to make an impact, and against Toronto, he did plenty. Along with his 30 points, he had 12 rebounds, handed out three assists, recorded two steals and even added a block.
That's the kind of all-around effort that tends to get noticed. Scoring will always get the headline, but the extra work around it tells teams what kind of player they might actually have.
Summer League doesn't lock anyone into a roster spot, and one bad stretch doesn't define a player either. But for Young, these moments are exactly what he needs.
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Now, the challenge is turning a strong stretch into a real opportunity.
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