UConn Huskies Star Receives Major New NBA Draft Prediction
Now that the NBA Draft board is set, we have a much better idea about where former UConn Huskies star, Liam McNeeley, could be selected in June.
Following the draft lottery on Monday night, ESPN released an updated mock draft, and McNeeley was given a new prediction on where and what team may select him.
In ESPN's updated projections, McNeeley is selected 20th overall by the Miami Heat.
From McNeeley's perspective, this would be a great team and organization with which to begin his NBA career.
Having a future Hall of Famer such as Erik Spoelstra as a player's first NBA coach would set anyone up for success, especially McNeeley, who still needs to develop to become a solid NBA player.
The reigning BIG EAST Freshman Player of the Year averaged 14.5 points, only 38.1 percent from the floor, and 31.7 percent from behind the arc.
McNeeley has shown the potential to be a solid long-range shooter, but he still has to find more consistency with his outside shot.
Miami drafting McNeeley would be "an opportunity for the front office to again showcase its talent evaluation skills after finding considerable success in the draft over the years," wrote Jonathan Givony.
Plus, McNeeley could make an immediate impact on the Heat's roster.
Miami still needs some more offensive help after trading away Jimmy Butler at last year's deadline.
McNeeley doesn't replace Butler, but certainly adds some more depth to the forward group.
Of course, there's still plenty of time before the draft. It'll be interesting to see where analysts predict McNeeley to be selected and what team emerges as a possible destination for the 19-year-old.
Tommy Wild has been primarily contributing across the Browns, Guardians and Cavaliers sites in the On SI network since 2022. Born, raised, and having graduated from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Tommy knows firsthand how passionate the fan base is and he does his best to replicate that in his writing.