Latest ESPN mock draft still has Miami Heat taking Purdue’s Zach Edey at No. 15

With a week remaining before the NBA draft, the Miami Heat remain linked with Purdue center Zach Edey.

The Heat are projected to select Edey at No. 15 according to the latest mock draft by ESPN.

Here’s what ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote: “Edey, ranked No. 16 in ESPN’s Top 100, is drawing interest from teams drafting in front and behind Miami, with every team in the back half of the lottery after San Antonio said to be in the market for a center. Utah, Portland and Sacramento were some of his latest stops on the workout circuit and he might end up visiting the Los Angeles Lakers as well.”

The biggest knock on Edey is if his game translates to the next level. He used his 7-foot-4, 300-pound frame to dominate the collegiate level, winning NCAA Player of the Year two straight seasons. The question is if he can keep up with the pace in the NBA. He is more of a traditional center from the 1980s and 1990s while the game is faster now.

“What wins in college and the NBA are totally different,” Edey said in May at the NBA draft combine. “There are a lot of things I can do that people haven’t seen yet. I was focusing on impacting winning at Purdue and simplifying my game. Every year I’ve taken steps forward and there’s no reason I can’t keep getting better.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at [email protected]