Erik Spoelstra on Team USA experience, emotion of returning to Philippines and Heat’s offseason

Nearly 10,000 miles and a 12-hour time zone difference separates Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra from South Florida, but Spoelstra is still very much involved in the Heat’s day-to-day business.

While Spoelstra’s role as a Team USA assistant coach under national team head coach Steve Kerr has taken him from Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi and now the Philippines in the last few weeks, it hasn’t pulled him too far from his head coaching duties with the Heat.

“Very much keeping in touch,” Spoelstra said Wednesday from the Philippines during a Zoom call with South Florida reporters. “I’m in daily contact with our coaching staff just to get an update on how the player development and the workouts have been going and the progress that everybody has been making. I’ve also been able to watch all of [Nikola Jovic’s] games [with the Serbian national team] and that’s been a fun part to watch.

“And then you check in with [Heat general manager] Andy [Elisburg] every two or three days. So the communication has been very frequent. Because of technology, because of FaceTime, we’re able to communicate daily.”

But Spoelstra is also making sure to soak in his first real Team USA experience, especially since it has brought him to a familiar place that’s important to him.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup runs from Friday through Sept. 10, and all of Team USA’s games in the event will be played in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. The USA Men’s National Team opens the tournament on Saturday against New Zealand.

Spoelstra, who is the NBA’s first Asian-American coach, is of Filipino descent on his mother’s side.

“It’s definitely an absolute honor to be on the staff and represent USA in the program,” Spoelstra said. “It’s been a dream of mine to be a part of the program in any capacity. And then this has just been surreal to have the world championships here in Manila. When I found out, one, that I would have an opportunity to be part of the staff, I was just absolutely thrilled and humbled and honored. And then when I found out the championships would be here, I was like: ‘Wow, this is incredible.’

“We’ve only been here a day, but it’s been really fun for everybody to experience the passion for the game, the passion and enthusiasm for our team and it’s one of the things I’m looking forward to is everybody being able to experience that. It’s one thing to try to explain it to people, it’s another thing to experience it.”

From past trips to the Philippines, Spoelstra has learned to enjoy the bus rides that provide a glimpse at the country’s passion for basketball.

“The bus ride here just to get to this venue, we passed through so many different neighborhoods,” Spoelstra said. “If you just look out the window, you can see basketball courts everywhere and makeshift baskets on sides of buildings or telephone poles. Kids are out there playing all the time. So I do encourage everybody just to look out the window and see some things that you normally wouldn’t see when you’re at home. The fan base and the passion for basketball here is so unique because it is like a religion.”

Spoelstra’s first Team USA experience came in 2021 in Las Vegas when he helped the national team prepare for the Tokyo Olympics as the head coach of the select team. But this is the first time he has traveled with Team USA for a tournament.

“The USAB program has such an illustrious history,” Spoelstra, 52, said. “There’s a legacy to this program and you feel it as soon as you become a part of it. And we want to be a part of that history in a great way.”

Here’s what else Spoelstra had to say during Wednesday’s Zoom call with South Florida reporters:

▪ The only other member of the Heat taking part in this year’s World Cup is the 20-year-old Jovic, who is playing a big role on the Serbian national team.

“This is exactly the type of summer and offseason that he needed,” Spoelstra said when asked about the importance of this experience for Jovic. “To be able to play, to be able to participate in all of our summer league practices and play in those summer league games against high-level competition. And we didn’t know necessarily how the Serbian team would shake out and it’s turned out to be marvelous for him. He’s getting a great opportunity.

“They had about a two-and-a-half to three-week training camp with the exhibition games included. He’s been able to play in all of those games. We were able to send our staff out and see a week of his training camp. And then we’re in the same place right now. He’s only about five miles away. With traffic, that could end up being about 45 minutes but we are definitely getting together while we’re out here.”

▪ Spoelstra noted the Heat feels “very fortunate that from our team that was able to go to the Finals, that we were able to bring back the majority of our roster. Obviously, we’re really happy for Max [Strus] and Gabe [Vincent] from a personal standpoint, but you also are going to miss them from a personal standpoint.”

The Heat remains in pursuit of Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who requested a trade to Miami at the start of July. But trade talks between the Heat and Trail Blazers have gone quiet for now.

Spoelstra is not allowed to talk about a player under contract with another team.

▪ On the Heat’s addition of wing Josh Richardson in free agency this summer, Spoelstra said: “To be able to get somebody like J-Rich, who we are all really comfortable with, who we spent so many hours and years spending time developing him and where he feels also comfortable in our system and how we operate, we just feel very fortunate that we were able to get him when we were able to get him. He’s already been in the gym working and it’s almost like, I mentioned to him the last time I saw him in the gym, it’s like the time away never happened. The relationship just started off right where we left it. That’s when you know you have strong relationships back and forth from our standpoint and his standpoint. Also, his versatility is going to be super important. His ability to play multiple positions.”

▪ On the Heat’s addition of center Thomas Bryant in free agency this summer, Spoelstra said: “Thomas is somebody that we worked out in the draft when he came out in the draft and we were a fan of his then and then we’ve also kept an eye on him over the years, mostly when he was with Washington. And then his time with L.A., I thought was really important. You could see how he could be effective in our system and how he can play with multiple guys. He’s big, he’s physical, he plays with a motor and he can also stretch the floor. So he can have a presence at the rim and in the paint, but he also can space the floor and be efficient behind the three-point line. We’re excited to be able to add him to our roster and add some depth to our frontcourt and some versatile depth.”

▪ The Heat also added sharpshooting forward Cole Swider on a training camp contract this summer. Swider will compete for a two-way or standard deal from Miami in the preseason.

“With Cole, if you would have asked us four months ago if we thought we’d able to get him, we probably thought that that might be unrealistic and so we probably thought we had a better chance getting somebody else like him that’s younger,” Spoelstra said. “But he had a very productive year last year. He has positional size, he has exceptional three-point shooting and range and versatility with his three-point shooting. He can shoot on the move, he can also space the floor and he has the size to be able to get his shot off with great accuracy. So we’re excited to be able to add him to our mix late into the summer. We’re looking forward to developing him and working with him.”

▪ In addition, the Heat brought back guard Jamaree Bouyea on a two-way contract this offseason. Spoelstra is encouraged by Bouyea’s improvement from last season.

“He made great strides this year,” Spoelstra said. “One, in terms of his body. He put on 10 pounds, a lot of strength, was in exceptional shape from a conditioning standpoint. He improved being able to run a team, get guys organized. And defensively and the things that he can do with his speed are just super unique. So we wanted to have an opportunity to continue his development and have a second year at it. I think you’re going to see bigger jumps with him.”