The Heat did not receive a historic slice of luck in the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery, and they will be selecting at the 14th overall pick as expected.
The Miami Heat came into the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery with a 98.2 percent chance of remaining at the 14th pick, which meant that any hope of landing a top-three pick was little more than an unrealistic dream.
The lottery played out the way it was expected to for the Heat, and they will be picking at 14, which is disappointing, but not unexpected.
There were no changes in the lottery until the middle of the order, when the Sacramento Kings shot up to the third pick in the draft, thereby demoting the Orlando Magic, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks by a spot each. (The Kings fell back to No. 5 via a pick swap with the Philadelphia 76ers, however.)
The Heat’s bitter rivals, the Boston Celtics, won the lottery via the Brooklyn Nets, and Pat Riley’s old team in the Los Angeles Lakers came second. Philadelphia and Phoenix rounded out the rest of the top four.
More from Miami Heat
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Report: Miami Heat hoping to keep key player out of Lillard trade talks
- Grade the Trade: The Heat pass on Lillard to land an MVP in this proposal
- NBA Rumors: Heat have big plans to upgrade frontcourt if they land Lillard
The Heat have quite a few possibilities at the 14th position, although it would be very unexpected if they were to take a point guard. Zach Collins of Gonzaga looks to be an excellent fit in the new Heat offense, which is based on quick ball movement and a lot of perimeter shooting. He has excellent range, and shot 47 percent from beyond the arc in college, which is surprising for a center.
Other players who should be in the Heat’s range include Justin Jackson, who would become a nice addition at a much needed position. Miami started Luke Babbitt at the 4-spot last season and while he played well, he cannot be the long-term starter for a team with playoff ambitions. Justise Winslow’s development has also stunted, so Miami may want to look at adding another wing to their roster.
OG Anonuby of Indiana is also someone who often gets mocked to the Miami Heat, and it is easy to see why. He can play both forward positions, which is something that both Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra like. He also has a nice outside shot, which is a good fit in Miami’s pick-and-roll heavy offense.
Same for me pretty much. 1. Zach Collins, 2. OG, 3.Justin Jackson. Anyone else and I'd be a bit disappointed.
— Frank Urbina (@FrankUrbina_) May 15, 2017
Miami may not land a franchise changer at the bottom end of the lottery, but with Goran Dragic already on board, and a lot of projected cap room to attract big free agents, this isn’t really a problem. Miami could land a project role player with the 14th pick, and this is good enough for Erik Spoelstra.
Miami is one of only seven franchises who have never had the first pick, along with the Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies. This long run is set to continue, although Miami fans won’t be too down, as they have three championships in the last 11 seasons.
Miami have never selected at the 14th position, and the closest they came was in 1990, when they selected shooting guard Dave Jamerson with the 15th overall pick. He lasted only five years in the NBA.
Since drafting Dwyane Wade in 2003, the Heat have only had two lottery selections. These selections were used on Michael Beasley in 2008 with the second pick, and Justise Winslow in 2015 with the 10th pick.
Next: 2017 NBA Draft Lottery results and 1st round order
Pat Riley will be hoping that his next lottery selection is more successful than those two, as they both look like questionable and potentially failed picks in hindsight.