Who do pundits have Miami Heat selecting at No. 18?
We’re less than one week away from the 2023 NBA Draft on June 22. The Miami Heat own the No. 18 pick, their highest since they selected Tyler Herro No. 14 overall in the 2019 Draft.
On Thursday, I revealed seven prospects—plus others—who I’m keeping an eye on, should Miami keep their pick. Today, we’re going to take a dive and see who the pundits have Miami selecting mere days away. Let’s hop into it!
“Prosper worked out for the Heat on June 15, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly on behalf of the team. When he declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, we wrote about why Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper is the perfect fit for a team looking to draft the next OG Anunoby.
Prosper contributed positively to winning considering Marquette outscored opponents by 26.8 points per 100 possessions when Prosper was on the court relative to when he was not, per CBB Analytics, which ranked second-best among players at all top-tier Division I programs. Opponents were just 17-for-63 (26.9 percent) when he contested their jumpers, via Stats Perform, which ranked as the best among projected first-rounders.”
Check out his full excerpt here!
“Strong reviews are coming in about how hard Prosper has competed during workouts. He’s visited a whopping 15 teams and counting. Sources around the league think he’s built enough momentum to start drawing top-20 consideration, with his outstanding physical tools, motor, defense and correctable shooting driving the interest.”
“Guys who can fly around and shoot in creative offensive sets are always valuable in Miami due to how the offense operates. Can you imagine Hawkins flying off dribble-handoff actions with Bam Adebayo? A big piece of the Heat’s run to the NBA Finals was their ability to consistently nail shots, but it remains to be seen how sustainable that is given that they finished just 27th in 3-point percentage in the regular season. Hawkins would give their offense a huge boost, and no team has done better work maximizing its players’ bodies than the Heat in recent years. His range starts at No. 12 with the Thunder, so he could be off the board by this point. The Jazz, Lakers, Heat and Warriors are all also thought to have some degree of interest in the No. 16 to No. 19 range.”
Check out Vecenie’s full excerpt here!
“Rupert’s skills and strong work ethic have kept him somewhat steadily in this range of the draft and make him an intriguing prospect. He should be on track to fill a role with his defense and offer a solid long-term outlook as his offensive game improves. He would fit nicely with a Heat team that could use more length and defensive backbone on the perimeter. Miami may also lose some depth in free agency, where Gabe Vincent and Max Strus could depart or become much more expensive to retain, making this pick a key opportunity for the Heat to inject some youth.” — Woo
“There may not be a better pure scorer in this class than Sensabaugh, who plays like a ’90s or ’00s bucket getter from midrange and also has a knockdown 3-point shot. The Heat could use a little bit of that.”
“Tall wings who have the ability to shoot it — and do so successfully in the multitude of ways Dick can shoot it — don’t come around every draft. His game is tailor-made for an NBA role player with room to grow into more.”
“The Heat could stand to add a young point guard to the roster as Kyle Lowry enters the final season of a three-year contract. Wallace is a nice option considering he’s a playmaker who has a chance to be above average on both ends of the court given the way he enthusiastically takes on the role as an on-ball defender.”
“Leonard Miller handles the ball well for his position and is a solid defender. The biggest knock on Miller, according to NBA talent evaluators, is his inconsistent jump shot. During his Pacers workout, coach Rick Carlisle worked with Miller on his shooting form, ball placement, and release. Miller also worked out for the Lakers and also is expected to work out for the Thunder, according to our HoopsHype workout tracker.”
“One of the top-ranked players entering college last season, he struggled because of a knee injury. He’s a gifted shooter and ballhandler, but there are questions about his ability to make teammates better.”
“It became clear during Miami’s run to the NBA Finals that it could use more creativity on offense and Smith Jr. feels like a typical “diamond in the rough” find for Heat Culture. Once projected to be the first college prospect off the board before a lingering knee injury derailed his freshman season, Smith Jr. could be the steal of the draft if he landed in Miami’s player development system.”
