Another thing with these past draft selections is that they all had a certain role in college, including Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and even Justice Winslow. Miami never seems to lean towards a player that is a bit of a freelancer, which there are a lot of in that 20 range.
That is why players on well known schools may get the edge from Miami’s perspective, since it’s less of a risk in their eyes.
And when discussing players with less of a risk, I also believe they may take a player with a lower ceiling if need be. There are many guys in this draft who are all offense and no defense, which I can tell you won’t be the way Miami goes. There are also a few that are all defense and no offense, which I think is a much more viable option.
Miami has a bunch of guys who can score the ball, but they don’t have somebody who can lock up opposing guards. This is another example of getting somebody who can try and make an immediate impact. That doesn’t mean he will have significant playing time, but that type of player can definitely get situational minutes.
And with a big man, it doesn’t always have to be about finding a fit for Bam, since he will be playing behind Bam, not next to him. Of course the goal is to eventually develop him into a starting position next to Bam, but that should not be the worry right now, since they are on the contending level.
Another thing is that Miami does not base their pick based off other people’s draft boards. There’s clearly a chance that they could possibly trade down, but they might just take a guy that is projected to go in the second round with the 20th pick. It’s all about being comfortable with the Miami Heat, and if they believe in somebody, they will go with that guy.
Obviously there is still uncertainty if Miami will keep the pick, but there definitely are some guys that fit their mold. Miami picks their players based off motor, since that will usually tell you if they’re a Miami Heat fit.
But whoever they do end up selecting, Heat fans should have zero doubt, since that mistake has already been made before.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/D855B34B-9D7A-45A1-BA6F-E00EE751FB01.jpeg440757Brady Hawkhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgBrady Hawk2020-11-11 08:49:372020-11-11 08:52:33What Are Some Miami Heat Draft Patterns?
The Heat hold the No. 20 pick in the draft. They don’t own their second-rounder this year thanks to the deal that landed Miami Zoran Dragic on back in 2015.
The Heat don’t have a long history with mid-first round picks, considering they’ve either been contending or rebuilding for much of their 32-year existence. They’ve made just five selections between picks 15 and 25, despite having 12 selections in that range over the years.
The NBA draft itself remains a crapshoot. Lottery talents flop while second round picks become revelations. While there haven’t been a ton of mid-first round picks in franchise history, the Heat’s history in the draft is spotty, especially in this range.
*For the purposes of this discussion, a mid-first round pick will (admittedly arbitrarily) be those between No. 15 (the first non-lottery selection) and No. 25.
Heat Draft History: Mid-Round Selections
Kevin Edwards
Far and away the best pick for the Heat in the mid-first round remains Kevin Edwards. The Heat landed the No. 20 overall selection in an expansion draft deal with Dallas. Miami agreed not to select Bill Wennington, Uwe Blab or Steve Alford from the Mavericks in exchange for their 1988 first-round pick.
That’s right. They landed Kevin Edwards for not picking Uwe Blab.
(Side Note: Miami landed second-round picks in other expansion draft deals, too, including agreeing not to pick Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from the Lakers or Dennis Johnson from the Celtics.)
Edwards led the expansion Heat as a rookie with a 13.8 scoring average and with 139 steals. A combo guard, Edwards continued as a regular starter through 1990. In 1991, he shifted to a sixth-man role. All told, Edwards played the first five seasons of his 11-year career with the Heat and seemingly started the do-it-all-undersized-two-guard archetype for the franchise. He finished his Heat career averaging 12.2 points, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals-per-game in 357 appearances.
Tim James
The Heat wouldn’t hold another mid-first in the draft until 1999. That year, they used the No. 25 pick to take Tim James out of the University of Miami. James became the first local product to make his way to the Heat. He played high school ball at Miami Northwestern before joining UM. With the Hurricanes, James ended his career ranked fourth in scoring (1,713 points), fifth in rebounding (856) and second in blocks (224).
But his time with the Heat would be short lived. Heat head coach Pat Riley had James bulk up and that largely robbed the 6-7 wingman of his elite athleticism. He played just four games with Miami, scoring a total of 11 points. James was then part of the blockbuster deal with Charlotte that saw the Heat land Anthony Mason and Eddie Jones in 2000.
James would play in the NBA for two more seasons before enlisting the US Army for four years. During his tours in Iraq, James reportedly never told the other soldiers about his NBA career. After that, he bounced around the world playing pro ball. The Heat honored James in 2011 as part of their Home Strong program.
Interestingly, James wore the No. 40 while with the Heat, a number now worn by another South Florida high school basketball legend, Udonis Haslem.
Dorell Wright and Daequan Cook
Miami’s next mid-first round selection came in 2004. That year, the Heat took Dorell Wright out of Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, CA. This marks the only time in franchise history the team selected a high school player.
Wright appeared in three games as a rookie in 2004-05, scoring a total of seven points. Wright would play parts of six seasons with the Heat and was the youngest player on the team’s first NBA championship. He wouldn’t break into the rotation until his third season, when he played 66 games, scoring six points with 4.1 rebounds- and 1.4 assists-per-game.
Injuries and inconsistent opportunity kept Wright from fully developing with the Heat. Ultimately, Wright put up 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds-per-game on 46 percent shooting in 211 games with Miami. When he left for Golden State in free agency in 2010, Wright vaulted to another level. He averaged a career-high 16.4 points-per-game that season, starting all 82 games.
In 2007, the Heat entered the draft with the No. 20 pick and took Jason Smith, a stretch big out of Colorado State. They flipped Smith to Philadelphia for the No. 21 selection, Daequan Cook, cash and a 2009 second rounder.
(That second round pick, incidentally, was later dealt to Minnesota in 2008 for none other than the goat, Mario Chalmers.)
Cook played the first three seasons of his six-year NBA career in Miami. His most notable moment was becoming the third Heat player to win the Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend. He proved to be a solid role player for a time, averaging 8.8 points as a rookie and 9.1 points in his second season. He was limited to just 45 games his third year before being dealt to Oklahoma City that offseason.
Wheeling and Dealing Mid-First Round Draft Picks
The Heat have always been willing to deal draft picks, particularly their mid-first round picks. Even in this draft, Miami may deal the pick, according to Five Reason’s Ethan Skolnick.
In 1990, the Miami Heat held the 3rd overall selection in the draft after an 18-64 season. The team traded the No. 3 (which became Chris Jackson, later Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) to Denver for the No. 9 and No. 15 selections. Miami turned those picks into Willie Burton and Dave Jamerson.
Jamerson wasn’t around long, though. He and the No. 30 overall pick (a second rounder then), Carl Herrera, were sent to the Houston Rockets for the No. 12 pick, Alec Kessler.
Kessler became the first player in Heat history to wear the No. 33, now retired for Alonzo Mourning. He played all four seasons of his career with Miami, averaging 5.2 points- and 3.2 rebounds-per-game in 210 appearances.
In 1996, the Heat’s first round pick, No. 16, went to Charlotte as part of the Mourning/Glen Rice trade. The Hornets used the pick to take Tony Delk out of Kentucky. Later in that draft, Miami made an ill-fated deal with Utah for the rights to the No. 25 selection, Martin Müürsepp.
The 6-9 power forward remains the only Estonian player to ever make an NBA appearance. The Heat sent a future first for Müürsepp, who played a grand total of 10 games and scored 17 points for Miami. The Heat then shipped Müürsepp to Dallas with Sasha Danilović and Kurt Thomas for Jamal Mashburn at the trade deadline that season.
Mid-First Round Draft Picks the Heat Dealt Away
Miami’s 1998 first rounder (No. 22) went to the Los Angeles Clippers with Isaac Austin and Charles Smith for Brent Barry. The Clippers would draft Brian Skinner with that pick, ahead of Ty Lue, Nazr Mohammed, Al Harrington, Rashard Lewis and Rafer Alston, among others.
In 2000, the pick Miami sent to Utah for Müürsepp turned into DeShawn Stevenson for the Jazz.
The Heat’s No. 20 overall selection in 2001 went to Cleveland as part of a complicated three-team trade that saw Shawn Kemp flip to Portland and Brian Grant come to Miami. The Cavs selected Brendan Haywood ahead of the likes of Gerald Wallace, Samuel Dalembert, Jamaal Tinsely, Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas.
In 2009, the Heat’s No. 18 pick in the first round went to Minnesota as part of the Ricky Davis/Antoine Walker trade. It was the second time the Heat had acquired Davis via trade. The No. 18 pick that year became Ty Lawson.
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2010 saw the Heat package Daequan Cook and the No. 18 overall selection for Oklahoma City’s second rounder. This move cleared out addition cap space to help make the Big-3 Era possible. The second-round pick Miami acquired became Dexter Pittman. The No. 18 pick that year was Kentucky’s Eric Bledsoe.
In 2016, the Heat lost their No. 24 overall pick to Cleveland, thanks to the sign-and-trade deal for LeBron James. The Cavs selected Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot ahead of Pascal Siakam and Dejounte Murray.
Finally, in 2018, Miami saw their No. 16 overall pick head to Phoenix as part of the Goran Dragic deal. The Suns would select Zhaire Smith. The Heat also stands to lose their 2021 first round draft pick in this deal.
One of the main reasons the Miami Heat thrived in the bubble this past season is because they had major depth advantages. That was important for many reasons, but the most notable was the fact that teams must be ready for a possible Covid test to come back positive.
Obviously that is something we expect the NBA to avoid, just like they did with the bubble, but ultimately it’ll be much harder since there will be a lot of traveling and a bit more contact.
This will have to be something that the league decides to live with and continue to proceed. If that is the case, team’s depth may be one of the most essential attributes for this upcoming season, and I believe that can work in Miami’s favor.
They may not have the same depth that they had last year, since guys like Derrick Jones Jr and Meyers Leonard could possibly walk, but replacements will have to be made.
That doesn’t only refer to free agency, but also within the organization. Guys like KZ Okpala, Kyle Alexander, and Gabe Vincent will be ready for an opportunity if need be.
And it seems to be even more important to retain a guy like Soloman Hill, since he should be cheap and fits that role off the bench that Miami likes.
There have been discussions about Kelly Olynyk and Andre Iguodala possibly getting put in a deal to make the team better and save some money, but maybe they think twice about it. Andre and Kelly are two quality bench guys, that are more than capable of stepping up into the starting lineup if some unfortunate situations were to occur.
This is another reason the 20th pick in the NBA draft could give them some value. I believe they will draft a guy that is more polished, so he can possibly be utilized immediately.
Another thing that may not want to get talked about, since Miami did not have a true off-season like other teams, are possible injuries. Certain guys may get rushed and it could lead to something unfortunate, which is why Miami will take their time with Goran Dragic if he’s resigned.
Obviously one thing you don’t question with Miami is their structure, coaching, and organization, which is why I believe they will be ready to adjust no matter what happens.
But it is clear that depth could play a huge role this season, and Miami will definitely be prepared.
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The Miami Heat have so many options heading into that day, but time is on their side.
The big question that has been looming around that front office is the one that Pat Riley brought up in his presser, “Do you just run it back without doing anything?”
Obviously that is a possible option, since they just made it to the NBA Finals, but I don’t believe it’s their first option. Guys like Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder will most likely be taken care of, but a “whale” to improve this team will always be first on their list.
The reason they have unlimited time is because they’re going to be waiting to see what shows up to their doorstep, instead of the other way around. Miami is clearly a place that everybody in the league wants to be and play for, which is why they will be looking out for guys pushing themselves out of cities via trades.
Pat Riley and the crew will be playing a patient game this off-season to find the best possible option for both this season and 2021 free agency.
And with the NBA draft set to happen in a little over a week, they will clearly use that 20th pick to their advantage as well.
It’s truly looking up for Miami heading into this next season, mostly since even if all other trades and signings fall through, they have a pretty intriguing core to fall back on.
And by the way, with Miami’s front office, not many things will fall through.
During this intriguing off-season for the Miami Heat, many players have been discussed through free agency and the draft. Although we have a good idea who Miami will be resigning for this upcoming season, there’s still a bit of uncertainty. But at the end of the day, their leader, Erik Spoelstra, will be ready either way.
If there was anything to take from this past postseason for Miami, it would be that Spoelstra is by far the best situational coach in the NBA. Many roster changes were made, including decreased roles for Kendrick Nunn and Meyers Leonard, even though they had so much success during the regular season.
The key word there was “regular season” though, since Spo knows what the playoffs are like after being apart of them for a while now.
He also had to make many game-plan adjustments, especially on the defensive end. Due to the fact that their rotation had a lot more versatility, he had the ability to mix it up and go to zone a lot more. And most of all, he let Bam Adebayo be Bam Adebayo.
Another thing about Spo is that he truly understands his personnel. And having that extra time in the bubble with his players allowed him to increase that understanding even more.
As said before, although there’s uncertainty of what the roster will look like exactly, you must have confidence in Coach Spo to make it work no matter what. For example, if Giannis Antetokounmpo was to take his talents to South Beach, there should be zero doubt about a possible fit. Spo has done it before, and he will do it again.
And although he hasn’t gotten the respect that he absolutely deserved over the years, this past season put a stamp on it.
He put all of his trust in Jimmy Butler upon arrival in Miami, he built an offensive and defensive scheme around their cornerstone piece in Bam Adebayo, and he gave a rookie in Tyler Herro the ability to do what he does best.
This team truly is special, and that all starts with the leader of this team, Erik Spoelstra.
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That’s what Jimmy Butler had to say following a game six loss in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.
It doesn’t matter what the circumstance was this past season in the bubble, Jimmy truly believes that they will be back. And why wouldn’t he, after a team projected to be a second round exit battled in the NBA Finals.
The regular season and playoffs showed everybody who Jimmy Butler is, but the Finals showed who he can be if needed.
Conversations loomed all throughout the season if Jimmy was playing the correct way. It seemed as if his unselfishness at times hurt this Heat team, and many said he would need to step up and score more.
And well, that’s exactly what he did in this past NBA Finals, and I feel the Finals is the only place that he has to do that.
Even if Miami goes into this next season with the same exact team, he can take a bit of a step back. Tyler Herro could have a huge second season scoring the ball, especially since he’ll have an increased role in the offense, which I’ve predicted he will be the team’s leading scorer.
Bam Adebayo will also be looking to take a huge leap this next season, after his bubble play previewed a jump that is soon to come. If he looks to try and score a bit more, that takes some weight off of Jimmy as well.
If you learned anything from Jimmy’s game this season, it’s that he’s going to do exactly what Jimmy Butler does. He’s going to be the main play-maker, defender, and facilitator for this young team, since he knows that they’re the key to success throughout the season.
But when it’s time to turn it on, he will be ready for that as well.
This is what makes this off-season so intriguing for Miami, since they have a choice to improve the team by adding some talent, or just run it back with the talent they have.
Either way, Jimmy Butler will be sharing the floor with Bam and Tyler, which means he will automatically take a step back to let these guys flourish.
But when Bam and Tyler do begin to breakout this next season, just know it’s because of the unselfishness and winning mentality of Jimmy Butler.
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Since Goran Dragic is a free agent this off-season, it’s clear that Miami will make it a priority to bring him back.
For one, he’s coming off an incredible playoff run, where he averaged 22 points a game in the postseason. And while I don’t believe people were taking advantage of what he was doing at 34 years old, the injury definitely put it all in perspective.
It made it clear how much weight he takes off of Jimmy Butler every single night. Throughout the regular season, Goran was the guy they relied on when Jimmy came off the floor, and even times when he was on the floor.
He continually stepped up every single night when Miami was going through a tough stretch, which he’d hit some must needed shots to get them back in the game.
I think his impact and level of play is obvious, but the veteran leadership is what stands out even more with this resigning.
There is an obvious locker room connection with Goran, especially with Jimmy, since they’ve created a special relationship this past season. But more importantly, the way to elevate Tyler Herro’s game in his second year is by having Goran on the roster.
Tyler had to come off the bench this season with Goran, and they elevated the benches level of play, which was a major contribution to this team’s success. Not many people believed Herro would bring immediate impact to this team, but I think the Goran Dragic effect made him ready.
Herro isn’t the only guy that had his game elevated, since Bam Adebayo seemed to thrive when he was on the floor. Once Goran began to be comfortable with throwing the lob in the pick and roll, they developed a unique type of offense. And since Bam is such a great screen-setter, Goran had increased scoring opportunities, which was a major upgrade from the previous screen-setter he had.
It’s pretty clear what Goran Dragic brings to this Heat team, and I believe the Heat front office realizes that. They will take care of him, and ultimately I believe Goran will take care of them as well, when he tries to make another run at a title next season.
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The Duncan Robinson and Klay Thompson comparisons have been looming following a historical season from Duncan shooting the basketball.
Even though this was Duncan’s second year in the league, I consider it his rookie season since he didn’t get playing time in year one.
Duncan averaged 14 points a game this past season, while Klay Thompson averaged 13 points a game in his rookie season. Although shooting the ball is both of their best attributes, they each have a more important skill.
Klay Thompson has the ability to lock up basically anybody he gets matched up with, while Duncan’s strength is that his impact on offense comes without even touching the ball. The gravity that he holds by running around trying to get open is truly second to none.
Although an ideal addition to Duncan’s game would be Klay Thompson-like defense, that’s not where I am going with this. Instead, I believe Duncan will need to try and step inside the three point line at times.
He began to utilize this more in the bubble when he was getting blanketed, which led to many open layups. But the mid-range game is what Duncan Robinson should focus on when watching film on Klay Thompson.
Klay is one of the best at using one dribble to step inside the three to get a better shot. The reason is that once a defender is worried about that part of your game, the three point shooting gets opened up even more.
In Klay Thompson’s rookie year, he was attempting 7 two pointers a game, which is now up to 10 a game. Duncan Robinson, on the other hand, didn’t even attempt 1 two pointer a game in the regular season.
Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler have constantly mentioned that they want Duncan shooting the ball as much as possible, so it’s obvious they won’t mind him shooting some more mid-range jumpers.
And it definitely isn’t a hard thing to master. As mentioned with Klay, all he needs to do is master the pump-fake into a one dribble pull up. That one move opens up Duncan Robinson’s whole entire game, which is why I’m positive that it’ll be added to his game next season.
Klay Thompson definitely isn’t a bad player to model Duncan’s game around, since they already share similar games. And surprisingly, there have been many records that Duncan has passed Klay in already.
In five NBA finals appearances for Klay Thompson, he’s only hit seven threes in a game one time.
And in Duncan Robinson’s first finals appearance, he hit seven threes in a crucial game five performance.
Duncan clearly has a chance to be the best shooter in the NBA, but it’ll be harder since Klay will be returning. But if he utilizes the mid-range jumper a bit more, I believe he can put a stamp on that title.
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The comparison that continually gets brought up when discussing Tyler Herro is Devin Booker, and rightfully so.
The reason they got compared originally was that they have a similar play style. They can each play off the ball through catch and shoot, but ultimately thrive more with the ball in their hands off the dribble. The shooting mechanics and form have some similarities as well, which is probably because of the fact that Tyler watches a lot of film on him to model his game.
But that is not the only similarity between the two.
For starters, they played for the same college and played the same position. Surprisingly, Tyler Herro actually had a better college career than Booker.
Herro averaged 14 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds, while Booker averaged 10 points, 1 assist, ans 2 rebounds. It honestly isn’t fair to compare though, since Herro played many more minutes a game.
On draft night, they both seemed to get overlooked a bit, which seems to always happen to Kentucky Wildcats until they prove them wrong.
Booker and Herro each ended up getting picked 13th in their respective draft classes. And when taking a look back at it now, they each turned out to be top three players in their draft.
When heading into their rookie years, they each didn’t have too much pressure so nobody expected much. Tyler Herro averaged 14 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds in 27.4 minutes a game, while Devin Booker averaged 14 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds in 27.7 minutes a game.
The only difference is that Devin had more of an opportunity to make an impact on a bottom tier Phoenix Suns team. Herro was joining a team that just acquired Jimmy Butler, and had high hopes of a deep playoff run, which obviously ended up happening. Herro’s outstanding playoff run also gives him a bit of an advantage, since Booker hasn’t had the luxury of competing in the playoffs.
Booker ended up making a huge second year jump, going from 14 points a game to 22 points a game. And after seeing all of these similarities between Tyler and Devin, I wouldn’t be shocked if Herro did the same.
Once again, it’s two totally different situations, since Miami is coming off a Finals loss. But I actually believe that Tyler Herro will be Miami’s leading scorer next season if they have this same team.
The strides he took in the bubble offensively truly stood out, since Erik Spoelstra and the team trusted him to run the offense and take big time shots in huge playoff games. If they allowed him to do that then, what makes you think they won’t let him cut loose during the regular season?
Obviously that’s a high bar to set for a 20 year old, but if there’s anybody that’s capable of doing it, it’s Tyler Herro.
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Well, Miami definitely views KZ Okpala as apart of their young core for the future.
The reason that is so clear is because they are very reluctant to include KZ in possible trades for a star. They’ve seen his potential since the NBA draft, since they were set to pick KZ with the 13th overall pick if Tyler Herro was already taken.
I believe he has a role in Miami’s rotation this next season, basically replacing what Derrick Jones Jr was asked to do.
And as I’ve mentioned before, he’s going through a similar process that Duncan Robinson went through, by going back and forth between the G-League and Heat team in his rookie year while flying under the radar. I don’t think it’ll be exactly like Duncan, since he went immediately into the starting lineup, but he definitely will have a role.
Miami has high hopes for his future and Heat fans should too.
#bugbrady How do you feel about giving up Herro for Giannis or Jrue?
Well, these are definitely two separate questions.
I believe that Tyler Herro should be included in a possible deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo if needed, but I definitely don’t feel the same way about Jrue Holiday.
The only way Pat Riley and Miami’s front office will send away Tyler Herro is for a generational talent like Giannis. Jrue Holiday is a solid player, and I believe he’d fit tremendously on this Heat team, but it’s not a clear upgrade in Miami’s eyes.
Obviously Jrue is a better player than Tyler, especially on the defensive end, but he is also 10 years older than Herro. And it’s also been reported that Miami would not include Tyler Herro in any possible trade for Jrue.
But once again, if the only way to get Giannis is via trade, Miami definitely would think about trading Herro away to get the whale.
I love Fox, but would his lack of three point efficiency concern you?
Three guys in the starting lineup that can’t shoot would make me nervous.
De’Aaron Fox’s three point shooting actually wouldn’t concern me at all.
For one, he’s the number one option on the Sacramento Kings, which means efficiency is not always his worry. Instead, he just makes sure to get a bunch of shots up, even if shooting isn’t his best attribute.
But if he was the third option on this Heat team, his shot selection would change dramatically, including a lot more open corner threes.
And by the way, when you have Duncan Robinson on the floor, shooting should never be a worry.
Adding De’Aaron Fox to Miami’s offense would not hurt them, instead their offense would be even more fluid and it would improve their offensive speed. It’s also clear what he would do to Miami’s defense, since he can lock up any opposing guards.
If Miami can reunite this Kentucky duo, it would be pretty ideal.
