Oklahoma and Texas want in on SEC

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Since last week, it was rumored that the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma were interested in joining the Southeastern Conference. These rumors have become a reality as it was confirmed that they have been in discussion for the past six months. This week, the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma have also issued a joint statement that confirms they will be leaving the Big 12 Conference in 2025 and have requested invitations to join the SEC.

 

This includes letting their current media rights agreements expire. Considering Texas and Oklahoma are the Big 12’s two biggest football programs, this a huge blow to their conference and their future remains uncertain. 

 

While it’s humbling that everyone wants to come to the SEC as it’s often considered the most competitive conference in college football, it questions how unfair the lesser competition of other conferences will be. Let’s take a look at the ACC and Big Ten for example. Every year, Clemson and Ohio State have a clear and easy path to the college football playoff, as their regular season schedules are a lot easier than any team in the SEC. 

 

With the two possible additions of Oklahoma and Texas, the SEC will certainly become a super conference at this point, with a potential total of 16 teams! This will change college football as we know it, and could pave the way for other super conferences to develop in the near future.

Miami Hurricanes: Bubba Bolden named to Jim Thorpe Award Watch List

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Award watch list season continues, and the Miami Hurricanes have another representative on a list released Monday. Safety Bubba Boldin was named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, which recognizes the best safety in college football.

This is Bolden’s second appearance on an award list, having been named to the  Bednarik Award Watch List as a candidate for the best defensive player.

Bolden looks to build off strong year

Bolden played well for Miami last season, recording 74 total tackles in 2020. He had several games in which he recorded multiple tackles, including a 13-tackle performance against UNC. He also recorded a sack on the year, and was one of the most physical defensive players for the Hurricanes. Perhaps most impressive out of all his statistics last season was the four forced fumbles on the year.

Now, he looks to be an integral part of the Miami defensive unit once again. He certainly brings a physical edge to the Miami defense. That physical edge is certainly welcome, and will be tested early. With the Miami Hurricanes opening against Alabama in Week 1 this will certainly be a test defensively. Despite Alabama losing several key players from last year, they should still be a relatively tough test

Bolden headlines a safety position that is talented but unproven. Names like James Williams will certainly have their time to shine. For now, it is going to be up to Bolden to lead the defense at the safety spot.

He certainly has as good a shot as anybody to win this award. For Bolden., it’s going to be more about consistency. If he can play consistent throughout the course of the season, he could be in line for some of these awards at the end of the year. His experience and play style will lend itself to playmaking opportunities. We have seen it throughout his Miami career, and 2021 should be no different.

5RSN Exclusive: Kyle Lowry Looking for Deal in Range of 3 Years/$90 Million

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(With Brady Hawk)

Following up on my report of Brandon Ingram’s interest in Miami, the Heat are still very much in on Kyle Lowry, however, the deal he is looking for is in the range of $90 Million over 3 years.

In my personal opinion, I feel that the 3rd year has to be fully guaranteed. Some on the Heat are confident, but I still wouldn’t count out the Philadelphia 76ers or the Los Angeles Lakers.

With Miami’s continued pursuit of a point guard this off-season, their eyes will be locked on this free agent market, which is headlined by Lowry, with guys like Mike Conley closely following behind.

Will they be willing to make that commitment? Time will only tell, but as the clock is ticking on Jimmy Butler’s timeline, a veteran point guard who can score at all three-levels, run the offense, and defend must be a top priority. Combining that with his close relationship with Butler makes the situation even more interesting.

While some extra options and avenues seem to be opening up a bit, the focus on Lowry will remain, while other possibilities will still be on the table as free agency grows closer and closer.

Panthers re-sign Sam Bennett to a four-year, $17.6M contract

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Sam Bennett is staying in Sunrise and he will be here for the foreseeable future.

Bill Zito and the Panthers announced today that Bennett re-signed with the team on a four-year deal.

TSN Hockey insider Pierre LeBrun reported that the deal had an AAV of $4.4 million.

Bennett was acquired from the Calgary Flames at last season’s NHL trade deadline and immediately slotted into the Cats’ top-six.  

The 25-year-old had 15 points in 10 regular season games and 5 points in five playoff games with the Panthers last season. 

During his career, Bennett has accumulated 155 points in 412 games. He also has scored 24 points in 35 career playoff games with the Flames and Panthers.

Bennett is the third RFA signing by the Panthers today. Earlier the team announced that they had re-signed Noah Juulsen and Lucas Carlsson to one-year, two-way contracts.

The Panthers still have to sign newly acquired Sam Reinhart. Reinhart is a pending RFA and is coming off of a one-year, $5.2 Million deal in Buffalo.

NHL free agency begins on Wednesday and eligible players will be able to sign extensions. Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe who are entering the last year of their deals will both be eligible for extensions on the 28th.

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5RSN Exclusive: Brandon Ingram Would Welcome Potential Trade to Miami

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(With Brady Hawk)

I can report that Brandon Ingram would be very pleased with a potential trade to Miami. Pelicans’ executive David Griffin will most likely be playing hardball if these talks were to progress.

There have been plenty of links surrounding New Orleans and Miami lately, including Lonzo Ball possibly being on the market, Pelicans’ well known interest in Duncan Robinson, and now this.

From the Heat’s perspective, they would be filling the number one hole on the roster that seems to be the toughest to fill. Three-level scorers that are also second overall picks aren’t an easy thing to come by, especially ones that are available.

This past season, Ingram shot 43% on catch and shoot threes, 48% on mid-range pull-ups, and 60% less than 10 feet from the rim. After averaging 23.8 PPG for two straight seasons on a similar amount of attempts, the level of effectiveness seems to work both ways.

While it’s clear the Heat need his type of offensive skill, Ingram would definitely benefit from unselfish facilitators like Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, while being coached up by Erik Spoelstra who is well known for elevating talent like himself.

This type of acquisition benefits both of Miami’s stars as well, since some weight gets taken off of Butler’s shoulders as a scorer, and Adebayo gets a promising counter-piece on the same timeline as himself.

Now, Kyle Lowry’s name has been floating around the Heat for quite some time, and he finds a way back into the equation in this situation.

The primary focus on their part will be trying to get talent like Lowry, before exploring any type of deals involving Ingram. On the Heat’s side of the deal, it will be very complicated and timing is everything.

So, will the timing be right for both sides of the deal to maximize talent? I guess we will find out soon, since Pelicans’ star Zion Williamson is awaiting a roster boost to contention and the Heat’s stars know they’re one piece away.

It may be complicated, but at least more and more possibilities are opening up to pounce on.

 

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Miami Hurricanes

Miami Hurricanes depth takes hit with Jalar Holley entering portal

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Late Sunday night, a member of the Miami Hurricanes entered the transfer portal. Defensive tackle Jalar Holley entered the portal according to a report from 247Sports.

Holley played sparingly last season, appearing in three games. He tallied six tackles. The 2020 season was his first action of his collegiate career.

His best game last season came in the season finale against UNC. In that contest, he recorded three tackles.

Holley was a member of the class of 2019 and was a three-star prospect. A Georgia native, he was recruited by defensive line coach Jess Simpson. At the time, Holley was also recruited by the likes of Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Colorado, Nebraska, and Tennessee among others.

What does this mean for Miami? In terms of overall production, it doesn’t mean a whole lot. Holley was on the lower rungs of the depth chart last season. It would have been interesting to see where he ended up following camp this year.  This piece of news does mean Miami loses depth at the defensive tackle position. Depth is always important, especially at a position with as much physicality as defensive tackle.

The one big name the Miami Hurricanes lost at the defensive tackle spot at the end of last season was Jonathan Ford. Ford recorded 19 tackles and a sack and a half for Miami last season. All things considered, Miami made out pretty well at the defensive tackle position in terms of losses on that side of the ball the end of last year. The big loss was on the defensive end. Quincy Roche , Jaelan Phillips, and Gregory Rousseau were all  major hits for Miami.

The transfer portal is taking over the college football, and that is not a good thing. Fortunately, the Miami Hurricanes have enough depth on both sides of the football to not be as affected by it.

 

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Breaking Down Bam Adebayo’s Performance Against France

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Team USA fell short on Sunday morning against France, which may seem like a shocking result, but isn’t if you’ve been keeping up. The same issues have stayed in tact, while Bam Adebayo shined early as the leading scorer in the first half.

Aside from two missed free throws late, he put them in a position to compete offensively, while we all know what he does defensively.

Now, the focus of this article will be on Adebayo, even though I usually highlight the Nigeria bunch, in Gabe Vincent, KZ Okpala, and Precious Achiuwa. Due to the inability of getting video clips from that game, here’s a few things to note…

Vincent struggled from deep in this game, which will continue to be the thing to watch considering a spot on a Heat team. Shooting is the strength that must remain his strength, so consistency must be a top attribute of his to take that next leap.

Achiuwa looked like he had a decent game in the box score, but if you watched the game, the struggles were apparent as well. He had some good defensive possessions, but the overarching theme was turnovers. I’ve talked about his body control and game speed needing to slow down a bit, but it looked to take a few steps back in the game this morning.

Lastly, Okpala pretty much looked the exact same as he did in the exhibition games. Placed into a role as a spot-up guy who isn’t truly capable of being a threat, while mixing in some attacks. He had a good bucket to begin the game on a drive, but other than that, he just can’t get downhill at all. Deficiency of moves, lack of a quick step, and more seems to be the issues, which leaves people awaiting for some type of offensive flash.

So, back to Adebayo and team USA, let’s dive into some positive things that stood out from him alone, since well, this USA team shares the same flaws as the Heat: soft switching, lack of rebounding, no point guard, etc…

Soft Touch in the Interior

The mid-range was a close friend of his in this game to start, which was what got him into double figures rather quickly in the first half. An open shot a few feet away from the rim doesn’t seem important to note, but it is.

For one, he wasn’t supposed to be anything close to a leading scorer with the talent this team has, but the reliance on him has risen since the struggles began. With some extra attempts, we’ve seen more of an urge to mix in more than just a regular jumper.

Last season, the jumper fell frequently, but it didn’t matter where he was on the floor, he was flowing into that shot. Throwing in some post hooks and one-hand push shots has been a normal thing with team USA, and it’s effective due to outstanding touch.

Free throw line jumpers are fun to watch go in, but the true dominance will occur when he can do stuff in the area above. A consistent go-to in that spot of the court can change some things for his game, which will only become more and more lethal, the farther he expands his offensive game.

Necessary Transition Offense

If you asked me what a primary reason is for the USA’s offensive struggles, I’d probably start with the lack of transition offense. Thinking back to past USA teams, fast-break opportunities was the theme of the offense. Lob passes, full-court dimes, flashy dunks.

But now, it’s turned into slowed pacing in the half-court, which it has shown that doesn’t favor this team.

Not only could Adebayo come into play here with his passing ability down court, but he can be the transition initiator. He’s faster than any big that he matches up with in these games, which is the real advantage for him.

As he pushes the pace in the play above, he uses his strength to his advantage. A quick bump on Rudy Gobert gives him more than enough space for the lay-in.

Although we’re discussing this in an Olympic sense, we can easily relate this back to Miami. I’ve mentioned many times that Adebayo will need to run the break much more than he already does with the Heat, since he continued to look for Jimmy Butler or others in those situations.

These are perfect reps for him to grow comfortable in that space, and that confidence would rise if it was actually effective for this unit. That is how this team can truly thrive, and that all starts with creating offense on the defensive end.

Adebayo is the Offensive Action

This team has basically shown that running offensive sets isn’t important. News flash: it is.

Isolation ball just won’t cut it, especially when the team continues to struggle from the perimeter. Some diversified sets will need to be thrown in, and the only time we seem to see anything close to that is when Adebayo is in the game.

He is the offensive set.

For one, the pocket pass has become their way of facilitating offense and forcing a defense into a rotational frenzy. In the play above, Adebayo receives the pass as the defender rotates over for the tag from the corner, but he patiently waits before rising up for a bucket.

The usual outcome of these plays is a simple kick-out for three, since that is the role of Adebayo. It’s also the way I would expect him to be used when the Heat get a point guard, due to that truly maximizing his passing abilities. It allows him to create on the move, which means he’s making decisions instinctively where he thrives.

Yes, I may harp on Miami needing that simple pocket pass team USA uses, but it seems team USA needs some of those actions that the Heat use. Motion offense would truly change the way this team plays, due to them just ball watching at the moment.

But what are those sets they could take from Miami?

We’ve seen some DHO’s with Adebayo and Kevin Durant, which should be utilized constantly with each of those guys’ abilities. He hands it off and pivots into a down screen, giving Durant more than enough room to pull the three for a bucket.

It doesn’t seem complicated. The team just needs some type of structure. Some type of go-to. And that go-to up to this point has been Adebayo, mostly because they trust him to make the right decision as a passer. Other than Draymond Green and himself, they miss that option.

Honestly, if Adebayo is the leading scorer in a first half like that, it mostly means that team USA isn’t in a great spot. He’s the bail out option, and he did just that early on. It’s promising to see him at this point in his career as a primary option when things get tough, but the true impact from him will come when others are doing their part and hitting shots.

Hounding Perimeter Defense

Lastly, I do want to touch on his defense in this game, as it was pretty impactful on the perimeter. Much like the conversations we have had in the past with the Heat, the soft switching with Adebayo on the perimeter can hurt the team at times.

Yes, Adebayo can lock up that perimeter player, as he did many times today, but these teams are very good at feeding the mismatch. That means, getting the ball inside to the bigs who are being defended by a guard.

In Miami, a lot of the over-switching happened with Adebayo, but in these games, everybody switches for no reason. It’s almost as if it’s the complete game-plan, which leads to second half runs from these opposing well coached teams.

Aside from the negative aspect to the scheme, Adebayo did his part today on that end, continuing to blanket any match-up that was in front of him. Looking at the clip above, you can see what that type of stuff leads to. It eliminates any dribble penetration from the two guys in the hand-off, while it ends in a three which is the result team USA is hoping for.

Once again, Adebayo has been a focal point on both ends so far in these games, which is why he was in the game to finish early this morning. This game may not have had many positives, especially with Adebayo’s missed free throws down the stretch, but his ability to adjust with this type of team and be effective is very impressive.

Even if you aren’t seeing much change in his game, he is growing. And the Heat have to be watching this and picking up the phone to improve their team back in Miami.

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Five Tips to Increase Your Chances of a Lucrative NFL Payout

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When it comes to the American sports betting market as hard as the likes of the MLB, NBA and the NHL may wish otherwise, it’s still the NFL that rules the roost when it comes to the sheer weight of action that occurs on any given Sunday.

 

According to recent reports as much as $100 billion is wagered on American football action during the NFL season, with a massive chunk of that outlay occurring during the showpiece Super Bowl event rolls into town. 

 

In order to help you make the most of your NFL betting action here are five quick tips to maximise your profit margin.

 

Bet With Your Head, Not Your Heart

 

NFL fans are a notoriously loyal bunch and often, especially among those who are relative beginners in the sports betting arena, they tend to back their own teams. In order to execute a successful betting strategy you need to bet with your head and not your heart. 

 

In fact we’d suggest you avoid betting on games relating to your team at all costs.

 

Do Your Research

 

You may know the NFL, but do you know everything you need to know about betting on the sport? You should do all the research you can and there are plenty of places to do so. If you want to learn how to bet on the NFL, then check out this guide which offers a great deal of key information when it comes to making a profit from your bets. It outlines some very salient points that could be the difference between another blown bet or an opportunity to secure a big payout.

 

Steer Clear of the Super Bowl (Unless Your Team is Playing)

 

In all honesty there is far too much attention paid to the Super Bowl. This may sound like an absurd statement but take into account how many people bet on the event without having any genuine experience in sports betting. 

 

From the perspective of the sports betting providers it’s like shooting fish in a barrel and you’d do well to stick to betting across the regular and postseason far more than concentrating on the finale. 

 

Save the Parlays to The Professionals

 

Parlays, in case you were not aware, are essentially the accumulation of a number of individual bets. They are a great way to make a killing but they rarely come to fruition, unless you know what you are doing.

 

A parlay is very tempting for a sports betting novice as they see the dollar signs flashing like neon signs. Be wary of stumping up anything other than a token sum on these, otherwise it may be like throwing money down the drain.

 

Back to the Futures

 

Someone who is new to sports betting might want to start out by investing in a futures bet that takes months to come to a conclusion. Futures bets clearly take a while to pay out but they retain your long-term interest in the result.

 

If you are a loyal NFL fan and want to get the ball rolling on a successful, and enjoyable, sports betting career then start with a simple futures wager.

Florida Panthers acquire Sam Reinhart from Buffalo

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Day one of the 2021 NHL Draft saw the Florida Panthers make a big splash for a former second overall pick. 

After drafting Mackie Samoskevich 24th overall in the first round, Florida had one more big play up their sleeve before the night was over.

Just before midnight on Friday, Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman announced that Sam Reinhart was being traded to Florida from the Buffalo Sabres. The trade was finalized Saturday afternoon. 

The official trade package was Sam Reinhart to Florida in exchange for goalie prospect Devon Levi and Florida’s 2022 first-round pick.

Reinhart, 25, was the second overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. This is the same draft where the Panthers selected Aaron Ekblad first overall. Current Panther Sam Bennett was taken fourth overall by Calgary the same year. 

Last season Reinhart tied his career high in goals with 25 in just 54 games with the Sabres. In 454 career NHL games, he had 134 goals and 161 assists for 295 points. During the 2020-2021 season, Reinhart spent the majority of the year playing without Buffalo’s star player Jack Eichel beside him. With Eichel only dressing in 21 games due to injury, Reinhart had to carry the load in Buffalo. He finished the season as the team’s leading scorer with 40 points.

With Reinhart coming south, Devon Levi is going back the other way to Buffalo. Levi was a seventh round pick in the 2020 Draft by the Panthers. The 19-year-old goalie prospect plays his college hockey for Northeastern University in the ECAC. Despite not playing a game for Northeastern last year, Levi backstopped Canada to a Silver Medal at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, just coming up short in the Gold Medal game to current Panthers goalie Spencer Knight and Team USA. 

As for where Reinhart slots into the Panthers lineup, he is a top-6 forward who can play on the wing and down the middle. I can see him adjusting nicely on one of Florida’s top-two lines. Reinhart is a consistent 20 goal scorer, hitting that mark five times in his six NHL seasons. Whether he is next to Barkov or Huberdeau, Reinhart will be a scoring threat for the Cats.

Similar to Bennett last season, a fresh start is what was needed for Reinhart. In his six seasons with Buffalo, the Sabres never made the playoffs. After finishing dead last in the standings last season, Buffalo had the first overall pick in this year’s draft, selecting Owen Power from the University of Michigan.

Florida now has three of the top four picks from the 2014 NHL Draft on their roster (Ekblad/1, Reinhart/2, Bennett/4). Reinhart is currently a Restricted Free Agent.

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Who Could Be Some Undrafted Options for the Miami Heat?

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The Miami Heat don’t have much preparing to do in the NBA draft department due to them not having any picks in this year’s draft. But knowing the Heat’s front office, they’re never totally out of the mix.

With that said, they are a team that consistently lurks the aftermath of the draft, since their undrafted expertise has shown to be pretty strong over the last few years, headlined by now free agents, Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn.

So, in this piece, I’m going to dive into a few options that I believe could be available after the NBA draft is finished up, and some guys the Heat could potentially take a long look at. The reasoning for that is when sign and trades are the expectation this off-season, there’s a good chance some roster spots will need to be filled, which is where undrafted guys come into play.

I feel there will be one consistent theme to this process with the Heat’s scouting, and it is two-way players. They have gone too long, up to this point, drafting guys who are either very gifted offensively without defensive stability, or strong defensively with an offensive game that doesn’t fit.

This is their time to fix that.

Yes, this is a win now team, but win-now means that some assets will need to be given up in the process to improve. That would leave them lurking for a some more young plug-ins, who would have to be completely NBA ready.

So, let’s hop right into the primary options…

Matt Mitchell 

6’6, 235 Pound Small Forward, San Diego State

The starting point when searching for Miami Heat possibilities is finding guys who have that “Heat” mentality. And number one on that list would have to be Matt Mitchell.

Before getting into his overall game, here’s one quote that may clarify immediately the type of personality that he is: “I’m that junkyard dog that gets it done.” Yeah, that totally establishes my point.

Now, as for his play-style, the Heat will be looking for complete readiness in these players if they go this route, and Mitchell showcases pure NBA translation.

One of the major strengths of his offensive game is the true patience and pacing of his scoring, which usually looks most comfortable inside the arc in the mid-range area. It’s not just a guy running downhill off screens for pull-ups either. He’s actually creating space with pure physicality and pro-level savviness.

His three-point shooting took a bit of a dip this past season, down to 34% on high volume, but the offensive consistency is still promising. He has great size that can navigate off screens for catch-and-shoot looks, but looks even better with the ball in his hands. And well, that’s what the Heat need.

When I watch him play, I see a role player and that’s exactly what Miami will be searching for. Not guys with super high potential. Not guys who are very ball dominant. Just guys who accept their role and play it well.

That physicality that I discussed earlier on offense also translates to the defensive end, as he can guard bigger guys with ease whenever they try to post him up. It’s a known thing with Mitchell that it’s more about where he’s placed in a defense than just his intangibles, and that’s perfect for a Miami Heat scheme.

I see a lot of good things in his game that would be useful for Miami next season, and the four years under his belt make that even more clear. On a team trying to compete, the priority won’t be development in Sioux Falls. It’s immediate production.

MJ Walker

6’5, 215 Pound Shooting Guard, Florida State

MJ Walker has been discussed across the Miami Heat world over the past few weeks, after Greg Sylvander hinted at it being a possibility. And it makes sense why.

First off, the Heat would be hoping that he slips that far, since his offensive skill really seems to be something a team in the second round would take a chance on.

There are many parts of his game, but nothing really stands out more than a pure outside jumper. Coming out of college, the ability to shoot from the outside isn’t out of the ordinary, but a smooth looking jumper usually gives you a good idea about the player.

As all good shooters have, every single shot looks the same with Walker. Perfect form, perfect flick, perfect release. He shot 44% from deep this past season, while sprinkling in plenty of scoring inside the arc, which he shot over 50% in that area.

The Heat will be searching for three-level scorers, and Walker is another one of those pro-ready guys that could immediately produce deep on the bench. He has been incredible as an on-ball guy, due to him scoring in so many different ways, but I see him shifting into a primary spot-up role in the NBA.

Now, that doesn’t mean it has to be one-dimensional, but that would feel to be his initial role in a Heat offense. The funny thing about all of this talk about his shooting is that seems to be his secondary strength to many out there.

He is somebody else who enhances that 3 and D label, which honestly gets overused in a basketball setting. He’s very quick laterally, allowing him to be very effective against opposing guards. One of his main knocks on that end for some time was over-aggression, meaning unnecessary fouls came often, but that has been cured as well.

He has improved as time has progressed, and that’s a good sign for a Heat team taking a long look at him. The biggest downfall that people like to point out is his age, but as I stated earlier, that may actually be the opposite perception from a Heat perspective.

Chris Smith

6’9, 215 Small Forward/Power Forward, UCLA

Chris Smith is definitely a different player from the last two, especially in terms of his build, but the Heat aren’t focused on one specific player type.

He definitely relates to the past two players with his similar role of 3 and D, or spot-up shooting, but he actually has some sneaky abilities in my opinion that could be getting overlooked.

Many people aren’t harping on a ton of offensive versatility, but looking at the first clip above, I’d say differently. He shows certain moves that definitely show he can be an impressive NBA player. Playing with freedom, good looking dribble moves for shot creation, and great balance on fade-away type jumpers.

In the second clip, you can see some “sneaky” athleticism that make him much more interesting as a prospect, especially in a motion offense in Miami. Smith is at his best when he’s on the move, and some similar actions with pin-downs and off-ball screening can get him in his spots of comfort.

In the last clip, those defensive strengths are shown a bit. His great length and 6’9 build allows him to cause major disruption in the passing lanes, and that makes his insertion into a switching defense intriguing. How would he look in certain lineups guarding the perimeter? Can he play help-side on NBA bigs?

Those may be two separate answers, but one thing I do know is that he isn’t one of those long-term project pick-ups. One comparison to his game in the past was Trevor Ariza, which makes sense in terms of switching and shooting, but I think there’s bit more in the tank with his overall versatility.

There are a bunch of options out there for the Heat to look into, but these are three guys that I think will be at the top of that list. I will continue to dive into other possibilities as we get closer to the draft.….

 

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