Who the Heat should draft at every possible pick number

As the NBA Playoffs are progressing the Miami Heat unfortunately have other worries. None are bigger than the draft lottery and the NBA Draft this offseason. Even if the Heat want to trade the pick, the actual pick number can greatly increase the value they have to offer when they go, as they like to call it, whale hunting. So, because the NBA Draft should be the only thing on the Heat’s mind, that is what we are going to focus on also.

There are still 6 draft spots the Heat can draft in those being #1, #2, #3, #4, #13, and lastly #14. Now the most likely of these is by far #13 but maybe the Heat for once in their history have lucky lottery luck and sneak into the top 4. To get down to #14 the Hornets would have to jump into the top 4, thus pushing the Heat down 1 spot. Today we are going to look at who I think the Heat should target depending on which spot their pick falls.

Pick #1 (1% chance) – AJ Dybantsa | Freshman | BYU

If the Heat are blessed with the #1 overall pick and they decide to keep it, then the choice should be fairly easy. If you mix star potential, bust potential, and measurables the clear choice is the freshman from BYU AJ Dybantsa.

Dybantsa is an explosive athlete that has a knack for scoring. He also has a good NBA frame at 6’6 and 212lbs that he can build off of. The Heat would instantly add a player that has superstar potential and the favorite for ROY in my opinion.

Dybantsa only shot 33.1% from three in his one year in college but I suspect this number will improve as he hits his prime and he is not relied on to be the only source of offense on his team. This past season he averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1 steal.

Pick #2 (1.1% chance) – Darryn Peterson | Freshman | Kansas

Good news, the odds of getting the #2 pick in the draft are better than getting the first pick, bad news it is still only a 1.1% chance. For this exercise we will assume that each player I select at a pervious pick was taken by another team and not available at the lower pick. So Dybantsa is no longer a possibility. That is okay because Darryn Peterson would be another fantastic selection for Miami.

Peterson would be a “risky” selection, but his talent should not let him fall below the second pick in the draft. He honestly has the talent to be taken #1 but his injury concerns and other things have him at #2 for me. I think there are legitimate questions that need to be answered about his controversial season at Kansas.

As far as Peterson the player, the dude is a flat out star in the making. He is extremely smooth with the ball and looks like a natural scorer. He is on the court to do one thing and that is get buckets and man he sure can. He is a sniper from deep shooting 38% in his season at Kansas which helped him average 20.2 points per game. He has the talent to be one of the best offensive players in the NBA and he could get there quickly.

Pick #3 (1.2% chance) – Caleb Wilson | Freshman | North Carolina

At pick #3 is when people start to diverge and you can get many different opinions. For me, I love Caleb Wilson here. I think he will be a two-way superstar in the NBA and will make an instant impact on whatever team he lands. Now I do not think he has a chance to get over Dybantsa or Peterson, but a talent like Wilson at #3 is going to make a team very happy.

Wilson is a do it all type player. By do it all, I mean he literally does everything one could want. He can score, defend, pass, and puts in the effort to consistently make winning plays that don’t show up in the box score. Wilson did suffer 2 separate hand injuries, but these do not appear to be long term concerns. He is also an exceptional athlete that needs no help making highlight plays. Pairing him with Adebayo and Ware in the frontcourt would help finally solve the long term depth issues for Miami.

The nock on Wilson is his three point shooting which yes, it is a legitimate concern. The way he shoots from other spots of the floor and his mechanics do point to signs that he can and should improve from behind the arc, but he probably will never be considered a major threat from deep.

Pick #4 (1.4% chance) – Darius Acuff Jr. | Freshman | Arkansas

At pick #4 is where my opinion probably differs from many. Yes, I would pass on Cameron Boozer for the Heat in favor of an offensive powerhouse named Darius Acuff Jr. There is something about John Calipari guards that seem to dominate the NBA.

I also feel like for the Heat that they need more of what Acuff brings than what Boozer would provide. The Heat need a dominant guard to help run their offense, more than they need a big and I think Acuff has a legitimate chance to be that guy.

Similarly to Peterson, Acuff is a smooth bucket getter that makes it look easy. If anyone watched the NCAA tournament then they saw that first hand. Acuff can score from anywhere on the court and that shows in his averages also shooting 48.4% from the field and an impressive 44% from three. He also averaged 6.4 assists to just 2.2 turnovers. So yeah, by all measures Acuff is an offensive powerhouse.

Pick #13 (92.9% chance) or #14 (2.3% chance)

If the Heat get the 13th or 14th pick there could still be several players available that I think could be great fits. Because of the more unknown I am going to briefly mention 3 names I think that Miami should be looking into.

Labaron Philon Jr. | Sophomore | Alabama

Basically, everything I said for Acuff, think similar for Labaron Philon Jr. Philon is a pure bucket scorer that averaged 22 points per game on 50% from the field and 40% from three. He has potential to be the go to 3 level scorer that Miami could desperately need. If you want 1 game to watch to see what he can do, then watch his NCAA tournament game against a decent team called Michigan. He dropped an efficient 35 points on the eventual champions.

Nate Ament | Freshman | Tennessee

Nate Ament is a complete gamble. He has a lot of great tools that could pan out to make him a superstar and a constant mismatch that will be able to shoot over any defender. He also could be a bust that is unable to match the physicality and morph his game to reach his potential. I will say the difference in Ament from the start of the year to the end is massive, so that gives me hope an organization like the Heat can maximize him.

Cameron Carr | Sophomore | Baylor

Cameron Carr would be an excellent selection at either #13 or #14 for the Heat. He is an explosive athlete that developed a lot this past year. He started his college career at Tennessee before transferring to Baylor where he became one of the focal points on their team. The Heat have long needed top tier athletes and Carr would certainly be one. He is not just an athlete though as he also adds a scoring punch from deep and just in general.

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