Miami Heat Draft Review

Current Roster
PG: Goran Dragic/Tyler Johnson
SG: Josh Richardson/Wayne Ellington
SF: Justise Winslow/Rodney McGruder
PF: Josh McRoberts/Okaro White
C: Hassan Whiteside/Bam Adebayo

2017 Free Agents
Unrestricted
F Luke Babbit
F Udonis Haslam
F James Johnson
F Willie Reed
G Dion Waiters

Who They Drafted
1-14 Bam Adebayo, C Kentucky
The Heat went off the board a little bit for their only selection of the night, a "reach" though probably not to them, which is what actually matters, not what pundits think. That said Adebayo is an interesting selection for the Heat because a lot of what he does duplicates Hassan Whiteside, though he does have some other strengths that Whiteside doesn't and could make him a better modern NBA fit down the line. Adebayo's 243 pound frame and 9-foot standing reach mean he should be able to play center in the NBA, which is good because that is where his offensive skillset fits best, as a roll man and lob threat like Whitside (though without his desire to post up, thank goodness). While he has flashed a jumper in workouts, it is fair to be skeptical since he a) did it rarely in college and b) when he did do it, he was horrible at it, shooting 31% away from the rim and 65% from the line. Defensively, Adebayo isn't particularly impressive as a shot blocker, though he will run into them do to his length and athletic ability, nor is he at all a good rebounder, which is especially disappointing, grabbing only 14.3% of available rebounds at Kentucky (for reference, that would be tied for fortieth among centers in the NBA last season, Whiteside was third). One advantage Adebayo does have defensively over Whiteside is his ability to comfortably switch, which is a skill that makes him project to be a valuable NBA defender who can defend on the perimeter, unlike Whiteside who prefers to hang back and look for shots to block. The Heat would occasionally take Whiteside out of the fourth quarter of games last season and Adebayo could be the guy that gets those minutes down the line. Where the Heat will have to work with him, and this is something they do very well, is to get him to play hard more consistently, Adebayo has all the physical gifts in the world but his lack of effort at times is what caused his overall lack of production and the reason many weren't as high on him.

What They Need Going Forward
The Heat have two higher level players, Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside, and then five grit-and-grind-y, high effort guard/forwards that have some skills but are flawed in one way or another. All five of these players are good to great defensive players and they make up the backbone of Miami's defense. Basically, this roster is prime for an injection of a star or two, preferably at the forward spots. Power forward, in particular is a weak spot for the Heat, as Josh McRoberts and Okaro White are the only true 4s on the roster; neither should be starters or even perhaps even rotation players. The big fish they need to go after are Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap, and Gordon Heyward. I like the fit of Griffin especially, as he has a lot of familiarity playing with a Whiteside-esque player in DeAndre Jordan and would really add another dimension to their offense. Millsap would help them in similar ways, and while Heyward is more of a wing, he could work in combination with Justise Winslow and would instantly the Heat's best player. If they aren't playing in the top of the market, there are any number of power forwards they could look at to fill the hole at that position.

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