Miami Heat: 2017 NBA Draft grades

The Miami Heat only had one pick Thursday night, and surprised everyone with their selection. Here are their 2017 NBA Draft grades.

On Thursday, the Miami Heat found themselves in unfamiliar territory: owners of a lottery pick. After an unlikely, incredible late-season run took them from an 11-30 record to 41-41, Pat Riley‘s team also went from a high selection in the 2017 NBA Draft to No. 14 overall. As such, they were put in quite the difficult position, as there is almost never a surefire prospect midway through the first round.

They didn’t receive much help either, as multiple players who the team liked (primarily Luke Kennard and Donovan Mitchell, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson) got scooped up in the picks just before Miami’s.

Nonetheless, when the Heat were on the clock at No. 14, they had various potentially good fits left on the board, among them UNC small forward Justin Jackson and Wake Forest power forward John Collins. The former would have provided Miami with much-needed size on the wing, while the latter would have given them a power forward — arguably the weakest position on their roster.

Well, Riley and co. had other plans. With their pick, they took a center, Bam Adebayo, out of Kentucky. Per Draft Express, the big man is 6’10”, weighs 250 pounds and has a near-7’3″ wingspan. He’s pretty athletic for his size, while possessing good strength for his age (19).

During his lone year as a Wildcat, Adebayo had rather ordinary averages of 13.0 points, 8.0 boards and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 59.9 percent from the floor and 65.3 percent from the foul stripe. For the season, he had 32 assists to 64 turnovers. What’s more, he attempted just one three all year (he missed it).

His best performance of the season came on Dec. 29 against Ole Miss. That night, he dropped 25 points on 12-for-19 shooting to go with four rebounds and three blocks.

What’s obvious after seeing his numbers and brief highlights is that Adebayo lacks skill. He doesn’t distribute from his frontcourt position at all, and did almost all of his damage in college near the rim; per Hoop Math, the undersized center took 63.7 percent of his shots at the basket.

It should be noted, however, that in recent draft workouts, he surprised teams with his ability to shoot — showing off range extending all the way beyond the three-point line.

Whether that actually translates at the NBA level anytime soon remains to be seen. I, for one, doubt he ever becomes a three-point shooter as a professional, for what it’s worth.

The pick, unfortunately, was met with much skepticism.

My main issue is a player with Adebayo’s attributes (little skill, only effective in the paint, very possibly a career backup center) could have been found in the 20s, or even in the second round; guys like Jordan Bell and Jarrett Allen went way later than No. 14.

Selecting a big man because you liked his attitude during interviews and how he looked in a workout, WITH A LOTTERY PICK, is a reach. There’s no other way to spin it.

To be fair to Adebayo though, he’s still 19 years old and could improve his skill with experience, as well as his athleticism as he matures physically. Plus, he’ll have a job with the Heat right away, as Willie Reed is about to get paid this offseason and will likely find himself in a different uniform next season.

Still, it’s hard to get excited about a talent that could have been acquired with a later pick. If Miami didn’t like their options at No. 14, they could have traded down and gotten multiple picks in return.

Thankfully the Heat don’t make their money in the draft, but rather through free agency and by developing undrafted guys (like Rodney McGruder) into contributors. There’s no other way to sugarcoat it: Miami, under Pat Riley, has not been very good when picking in the first round. Just look at their five biggest draft flubs of the last 21 years for proof.

Last night’s selection didn’t inspire much confidence either.

Next: 2017 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams

As far as a grade, taking Adebayo was a mediocre, boring move, and one Miami may end up regretting down the line. That is, unless you think drafting a backup center with a lottery pick is in some way savvy or forward-thinking. (Spoiler alert: It isn’t.)

Grade: D+