Heat rookie cites a specific aspect that he’s looking to take from Klay Thompson

MIAMI – As the Miami Heat will be led by the dynamic duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, there will also be young players who will look to make an immediate impact, such as rookie Ryan Conwell. While the Heat rookie has already been shouted out by the likes of Klay Thompson , the second-round pick would reveal what he has taken away from the four-time champion with the Golden State Warriors.

In Miami's 125-124 preseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Conwell would get an extended role with the team as the projected starters of Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Davion Mitchell didn't play. Along with some of the rotational players being absent, Conwell showed many traits, including his three-point ability that was present in college.

Heat's Ryan Conwell on what he's seen Klay Thompson do all the time

Selected with the 37th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Heat took Conwell, who recorded a year each with a different school such as USF, Indiana State, Xavier, and Louisville. The three-point ability was really showcased starting with Indiana State, as he shot over 40 percent from deep with the Sycamores and Xavier, and while it dipped to 34.5 percent with the Cardinals, he attempted 9.6 three-point shots per game.

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In Saturday's preseason contest, Conwell would log a game-high 22 points on seven of 18 shooting from the field, two of nine from deep, six of seven from the free-throw line, to go along with nine assists, five rebounds, and two steals.

On Saturday, Miami's coaching staff ran a ton of plays with Conwell shooting motion threes off an inbound pass, which the team wants him to do more of, as it helps; he's seen Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. do it many times.

"Yeah, they definitely are," Conwell said when asked if the team is pushing him to take those types of shots. "They pour a lot of confidence into me every day, and I get a lot of confidence from the work I put in in the gym with the other coaches as well. Also, I mean, I watch Klay and Tim do it all the time, so I'm just learning every day, and yeah, just putting in the work."

Despite the two-of-nine clip from deep, there's no denying that the team and Conwell aren't worried about his sharpshooter mentality.

Heat's Erik Spoelstra on Ryan Conwell overcoming the "ups and downs"

Conwell's three-point ability has been hyped ever since he was taken by the Heat in the 2026 NBA Draft, with Thompson himself saying during training camp that the rookie beat him in a shooting drill. However, Saturday's outing showcased Conwell's playmaking ability, as the 22-year-old has been tasked with learning to initiate the offense for Miami, especially since the point-guard depth has been hit with Dru Smith's calf injury.

While the nine assists are encouraging, head coach Erik Spoelstra would tell ClutchPoints that he's overcoming the "ups and downs" he's had in training camp, further explaining the trust he had in the guard during the preseason loss.

"Well, he showed the fortitude to stick with it. He's had some ups and downs in training camp, welcome to the league as a young player, but 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. You can see what he's made of," Spoelstra said.

"He made some big plays in the second half as he got settled into the game; you can feel his competitive spirit on both ends of the court, and made some really nice plays," Spoelstra continued. "Obviously, had a couple threes that were big, but he made some plays off the dribble, and we were running, you know, some of the triggers in the fourth quarter, really, for him to make the read, whether it was a shot or get us into something, and he did a nice job with it."

Heat's Ryan Conwell on the game slowing down for him

While Conwell wouldn't connect on what could've been the game-winning shot with time expiring in the fourth quarter, the performance overall shouldn't be undervalued. His words shouldn't be undersold as well, as he told ClutchPoints after the game that aside from gaining more comfortability with the team, "the game is slowing down each day."

"First and foremost, want to give all glory to God. I'm just blessed to be in this position, part of a great organization," Conwell said. "But credit to my coaching staff and to my vets. You know, every day in practice, I'm able just to work on my reads, work on different things, different pieces of my game, and I think with each day, it's showing out there on the floor. It's getting more and more comfortable. The game is slowing down each day, so it's just a work in progress, and I'm just trying to get better at it every single day, just to be an all-around player."

At any rate, it remains to be seen how Conwell's role will be with Miami come the regular-season opener on Oct. 21 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he'll continue fine-tuning his skills in the upcoming preseason contest on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets.