Miami Heat: 6 Most Interesting Late Lottery Draft Options
By Frank Urbina
4. John Collins, PF, Wake Forest
Another power forward the Heat could target is Wake Forest’s John Collins. After a quiet freshman season, the 19-year-old big man exploded in his second year of ACC basketball.
On the season, Collins averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks; he also converted on 62.2 percent of his shot attempts and a healthy 74.5 percent of his free-throws.
That’s while playing in the toughest conference in the country and leading his team to an NCAA Tournament berth. Impressive stuff from a kid who won’t even turn 20 until September.
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However, there are some concerns regarding his still-maturing game.
Collins is considered a lackadaisical defender at times, which is part of what led to his Demon Deacons being eliminated in the first round of the tourney. According to KenPom, they ranked 176th in defensive efficiency last season. For comparison’s sake, Texas’ defense — built around Jarrett Allen — was 21st.
Per Draft Express, his issues may stem from a lack of fundamentals. If that’s the case, what better place to improve upon those than in Miami, under Juwan Howard and Udonis Haslem‘s tutelage? He does possess quick feet and a sturdy frame, meaning he’s far from a lost cause defensively.
The other common knock against him is that he does almost all of his damage within 12-feet of the rim. When you consider today’s NBA is dominated by the stretch-4, that may be a problem.
The Heat’s offense absolutely excelled when they embraced the three-point shot in the latter part of 2016-17. Adding Collins to the lineup next to Whiteside would stymie that.
In all, even if his game is based around antiquated methods of scoring (posting up and mid-range jumpers) he’s still an efficient monster offensively, and that may be enough for the Heat to give him a long look at 14.