Miami Heat: 6 Most Interesting Late Lottery Draft Options

1. Zach Collins, PF-C, Gonzaga

It’s highly unlikely Gonzaga’s Zach Collins falls to 14.

The one-and-done prospect had modest production during his lone year at Gonzaga. He started in zero games (his team was laden with talented upperclassmen), averaged 10.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.

So why all the hype?

For starters, he’s a legit 7-footer, a very fluid athlete with deft touch around the basket, boasts an exciting post repertoire, and has solid form on his mid-range jumper. Further, Collins made 10 of his 21 three-point attempts on the year, proving he has stretch-4 potential.

He also has excellent instincts defensively, exemplified by his 4.1-block-per-40-minute average.

Collins helped himself most, though, by saving his best performance for last.

In the second-most important game in school history — Gonzaga’s 2017 Final 4 showdown versus South Carolina — the freshman big man scored 14 points, brought down 13 rebounds and blocked six shots, while going 6-of-9 from the floor, in a 77-73 win.

As if his stat line wasn’t impressive enough on its own, we should also mention that South Carolina boast the third-ranked defense in the country, per KenPom. Oh, and he’s still a teenager.

Collins does have flaws: he struggles with fouling (sometimes overly-eager to contribute), isn’t a threat from three (yet) and is a poor distributor.

Even so, if he fell far enough, he would be the easy choice for Miami at 14. He could his spend time his first year developing off the bench, backing up Whiteside. Or, if he’s ready for a larger role right away, slot in at the 4 and take the spot left behind by Luke Babbitt.

Next: 10 Random First Round X-Factors

Heat fans need to hope Collins experiences a Winslow-like slide on draft night. Just without the years of disappointment that follow.