Miami Heat: 6 Most Interesting Late Lottery Draft Options

7. Honorable Mentions

There are multiple players who could help the Heat early on in their professional careers, but don’t warrant being selected in the lottery.

A couple of big men fit that mold, including Tyler Lydon of Syracuse.

The 6-foot-10 power forward averaged 11.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over his two years of college. He’s an intriguing prospect for his ability to stretch the floor from his frontcourt position; Lydon shot 39.8 from three while at Syracuse.

He needs to get stronger and improve his rebounding and toughness, but his shooting should allow him to enjoy a long career as a role player. (Oh, forgot to mention: He’s got some hop, too.)

There’s also Isaiah Hartenstein, who played his basketball with Zalgaris of the Lithuanian league. He’s a power forward/center hybrid, who measured in at 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-2.3 wingspan during the recent Nike Hoop Summit.

Hartenstein hasn’t produced much as a professional, but that makes sense considering he’s 18 years old, playing with grown men. He’s one of the most skilled bigs in the draft, with a sometimes-waning effort level, making him the biggest boom-or-bust prospect of the 2017 class.

Or, if Miami doesn’t want to extend Waiters’ time in South Florida, they could look shooting guard.

Donovan Mitchell of Louisville is a tough-nosed defender who can score and distribute from the 2-spot, while Terrence Ferguson, who chose to play in Australia over attending Arizona, is tall, long and has picture-perfect form on his three-point shot.

Either guy would be a solid rotation piece for Miami in 2017-18.