The Miami Heat will almost certainly be picking in the middle portion of the NBA Draft’s first round. Here are the six most intriguing names to watch.
Improbable, incredible and inconceivable are just three ways we can describe the close to 2016-17 for the Miami Heat.
They were dead in the water, and then they weren’t. Superb play from James Johnson and Dion Waiters, along with Goran Dragic‘s leadership and Hassan Whiteside‘s explosiveness led the team out of the gutter, and into the thick of the Eastern Conference Playoff race.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.
Waiters twisted his ankle, the Heat lost steam and the postseason dream was dead. And for how exhilarating the final 41 games were, they did come at a cost: Miami went from probably having a top-six selection in the 2017 NBA Draft, to one that is all-but-certain to be 14th overall.
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Just how likely is it that Pat Riley will be stuck with a pick in the middle portion of the first round? The odds on Tankathon state the Heat have a 98.2 percent chance of receiving the final pick in the lottery.
A draft spot that — historically — hasn’t produced many star-level talents. The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson did an in-depth look at the players taken 14th over the past 35 years. I highly recommend you check it out as it’s extremely informative.
But I’m warning you, it’s a bit macabre as well, at least if you’re a Heat fan.
Regardless, this upcoming draft class has been lauded as one of the deepest we’ve seen in a while. Thus, Miami should theoretically be able to add a year-one contributor no matter where they pick.
Let’s take a look at the six most intriguing names who should be available around when the Heat will be on the clock.