The 5 worst moves of the Pat Riley era
By Simon Smith
3. Shabazz Napier
June 26, 2014: Selected Shabazz Napier in with the 24th pick in the draft ( Heat traded up to acquire Napier).
Watching Shabazz Napier play for UConn, LeBron James Tweeted, “My favorite player in the draft.” From the outset, this pick was seemingly a desperate attempt to appease unrestricted free agent James.
In the subsequent weeks, speculation mounted as to how the Heat would react. Yes, he led Connecticut to the 2014 NCAA Title. But Napier did not appear to have the outstanding physical and playing qualities required to excel at the highest level.
That, unfortunately, didn’t stop Riley trading up in the draft to obtain Napier. Historically, Riley strongly favored taller guards. The gamble proved a failure. James returned to Cleveland, and Napier struggled to take playing time away from Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole. He averaged 5.1 points per game on 38 percent shooting in his solitary season in South Beach.
Riley soon after cut his ties with Napier, trading him away to the Orlando Magic for a highly protected second-round draft selection.
To further compound the selection, players with a huge upside such as Clint Capella, Nikola Jokic and Jordan Clarkson remained on the draft board when the Heat selected Napier.
On top of the McRoberts and Granger signings, the Napier pick and James departing topped off a nightmare summer for Riley.
Next: The Ricky Davis experiment