Tag Archive for: NBA Draft

Another thought on Miami Heat’s draft options

From our new contributor Jaccare Givens, as we continue to engage the Five Reasons Sports community. We will be compiling these and posting them leading up to the NBA Draft on June 20:

 

With the NBA draft seven days away let’s look at 3 prospects for the Miami Heat to draft at number 13 in the 2019 NBA draft. The Miami Heat’s main objectives should be to draft the right player, but also to avoid drafting guys who are redundant to what they already have on the current roster. For example, the Heat should stay away from a player like P.J. Washington because he has a lot of characteristics of a Bam Adebayo or Derrick Jones Jr. and that was one of the Heat’s major problems last year with the roster too many alike players at the same position.

I do understand that this draft class isn’t deep but players such Kawhi Leonard and Giannis have been drafted in the back end of the lottery and turn into great players. In my opinion, the Heat need to take a high potential player who can be an All- Star or a player who can be instant offense an average 20-25 points per game. In general, they just need a player who can develop into the next D-Wade as a franchise player and can be the best player on a championship team.

 My top 3 prospects for the Heat in the 2019 NBA draft are:

 

1. Cam Reddish: 6’8 Guard with a 7-1 wingspan, who can flat out shoot the basketball he has an effortless shooting stroke and at times can be a great defender. He was very overlooked at Duke but I think he has the most potential out of all of the Duke prospects in the draft to be a immediate contributor, he can be a better version of Paul George because he’s already a better offensive talent then Paul George was as a rookie. My biggest concern with Reddish is that he’s very aloof at times on the court but I think being in a system like the Miami Heat he can develop into a superstar level player because they have the foundation and coaches to get the best out of their players.

 

2. Kevin Porter Jr.: Can be an elite scorer at the NBA level he’s a 6’6 SG crafty scorer and draws comparisons to James Harden.  He will be a lottery pick strictly based off potential because before he entered college many in NBA Draft circles had him going in the TOP 5. I will say this he can be one the big steals in the draft because he’s falling due to character concerns but I don’t have that issue with Porter JR. because he’s a young kid so yes he won’t make the best decisions at the present moment so we can give him a pass because he will mature as he gets older.

 

3. Bol-Bol: Based off purely measurables and game he should be a top 3 pick a 7’2 center who can stretch the floor and handle the ball with a 7’8 wingspan. He’s the definition of a boom or bust prospect because you can hit big with him or lose it all with the pick. If you can develop him, you have an unstoppable force at the 5 because his skill set would be unmatched and hard to defend for anyone. His length and height can make him an excellent defender and rim protector. He does have to develop his game more and also put on weight and he did have a foot injury that derail his college career and guys his size are know to have foot issues i.e. Yao Ming which foot injuries end his career and Joel Embiid did as well that stopped him from playing his first two years in the NBA. We do hope the kid has a healthy NBA career no matter where he lands. In all if Bol Bol lands in the right system that team gets a player with All-Star potential.

 

Miami Heat pre-draft tracker

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the official Miami Heat Beat pre-draft tracker. This story will be updated as new information becomes available on draft prospects the Miami Heat have conducted pre-draft workouts AND/OR interviews with.

Follow along as we keep tabs on who Miami might take at No. 13 on June 20 at the 2019 NBA Draft in New York.


Draft Chatter

Update (5/29): “The Heat has told people it wants to find athletic wing players who can shoot and defend, ideally in the 6-foot-6 range. But at No. 13, Miami would take a power rotation player if one is clearly ranked ahead of a wing, even though a wing is the preference,” according to Barry Jackson, Miami Herald.


Confirmed Player Meetings with the Heat:

• Bruno Fernando | Center, Maryland (first reported by David Wilson, Miami Herald)

• Naz Reid | Big, LSU (first reported by David Wilson, Miami Herald)

• Carsen Edwards | Point Guard, Purdue (first reported by David Wilson, Miami Herald)

• Ignas Brazdeikis | Forward, Michigan (first reported by David Wilson, Miami Herald)

• Grant Williams | Forward, Tennessee (first reported by David Wilson, Miami Herald)

• Terance Mann | Forward, Florida State (first reported by Ben Stinar, Amico Hoops)

• Ky Bowman | Guard, Boston College (first reported by Greg Sylvander, Miami Heat Beat)

Note: Above prospects are considered mid-to-late-first and second-round projections.


Confirmed Individual Player Workouts to be Hosted at Heat Facility in June:

• Brandon Clarke | Big, Gonzaga (first reported by Ira Winderman, Sun-Sentinel)

• Tyler Herro | Guard, Kentucky (first reported by John Alfes, Amico Hoops)

• Matt Mooney | Guard, Texas Tech (first reported by ESPN 99.1 FM in Sioux Falls, confirmed by Greg Sylvander, Miami Heat Beat)

• Kevin Porter Jr. | Guard, USC (first reported by Barry Jackson, Miami Herald)

• P.J. Washington | Forward, Kentucky (first reported by Barry Jackson, Miami Herald)

• Dewan Hernandez | Forward, Miami (first reported by Barry Jackson, Miami Herald)

• Kyle Allman | Guard, Cal State Fullerton (first reported by Harrison Faigen, SB Nation)


Pro Day Attendance (Agent Organized Workouts):

Priority Sports — Pro Day in Chicago, May 24 (per Chris Kouffman, Five Reasons Sports, and Barry Jackson, Miami Herald):

Miami Heat officials in attendance: Pat Riley, Nick Arison, and Chet Kammerer

• Brandon Clarke | Forward, Gonzaga

• Bruno Fernando | Center, Maryland

• Isaiah Roby | Forward, Nebraska

• Dylan Windler | Forward, Belmont

• Carsen Edwards | Guard, Purdue

• Admiral Schofield | Guard, Tennessee

• Ty Jerome | Guard, Virginia

• Ethan Happ | Forward, Wisconsin

• Max Strus | Guard, DePaul


Impact Basketball — Pro Day in Las Vegas, May 27 (per Brian Goins, Miami Heat Beat):

Miami Heat officials in attendance: Andy Elisburg and Adam Simon

• Nassir Little | Forward, North Carolina

• Mamadi Diakite | Big, Virginia

• Ky Bowman | Guard, Boston College

• Terence Davis | Guard, Ole Miss

• Zach Norvell | Guard, Gonzaga

• Ignas Brazdeikis | Forward, Michigan

• Charles Matthews | Guard, Michigan

• Miye Oni | Guard, Yale

Wasserman Agency
— Pro Day in Santa Monica, May 28 (per Greg Sylvander, Miami Heat Beat):

• Rui Hachimura | Forward, Gonzaga

• Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Guard, Virginia Tech

• De’Andre Hunter | Forward, Virginia

Klutch Sports — Pro Day in Los Angeles, May 28 (per Jonathan Givony, Draft Express):

Miami Heat officials in attendance: Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley

• Darius Bazley | Forward, Princeton High School

• Donta Hall | Forward, Alabama

• Talen Horton-Tucker | Guard, Iowa State

Roc Nation Sports — Pro Day at Mamba Sports Academy in Los Angeles, May 28 (per Jonathan Givony, Draft Express):

Miami Heat officials in attendance: Erik Spoelstra, Pat Riley, and Adam Simon

• Kevin Porter Jr. | Guard, USC

• Zylan Cheatham | Forward, Arizona State


Notables

• Cam Reddish | Forward, Duke

• Kevin Porter Jr. | Guard, USC

Note: Both were slated to meet with the Heat at the combine, but did not, according to the Sun-Sentinel’s Ira Winderman.

• Nassir Little | Forward, North Carolina

• Romeo Langford | Guard, Indiana

Note: Both confirmed they did not meet with the Heat at the combine, as well, according to the Miami Herald’s David Wilson.

• DaQuan Jeffries | Forward, Tulsa

Note: Jeffries was invited for an individual workout, but a minor hip injury prevented it from taking place, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.

Can the Heat find another Justise or Bam at 13?

The Heat will continue to need to build through the middle, unless they can flip picks and players for a superstar, which doesn’t seem especially likely over the next season.

Until that opportunity arises, Miami’s front office and scouting staff will be looking at options for No. 13 this season, hoping to get a player as promising as Bam Adebayo (No. 14 in 2017) or, even better, someone as good as the guy who went one spot ahead of Adebayo that year, Donovan Mitchell.

The process has been ongoing, but it accelerates in Chicago for pre-draft camp, and the reporters on scene from South Florida — Ira Winderman, David Wilson, Shandel Richardson — had the details.

That’s not a surprising list, even if it seems unlikely that Reddish would be there at 13. Porter — along with Clarke and Bol Bol — has been among the prospects linked to the Heat in early mock drafts.

Don’t pay much attention to position. The Heat need help everywhere, though it would seem that center would be the least pressing need, at least while Hassan Whiteside and Kelly Olynyk are still in Miami with Bam Adebayo.

And this is a franchise that took Dwyane Wade in 2003 when it was paying Eddie Jones a fortune to play two-guard.

Also, don’t place too much emphasis on who the Heat interview in Chicago.

In 2015, I recall speaking with Justise Winslow there. Winslow was expected to go higher than the Heat’s slot (No. 10) and he told me that he hadn’t met with the Heat there.

There will be plenty of tidbits between now and the draft in six weeks, including this one: