This is All U Can Heat’s official NBA Draft big board, in which we rank to the top prospects in the draft as determined by our resident wannabe scouts Wes Goldberg, Frank Urbina and The Step Back’s scouting expert Cole Zwicker. After looking like a top-6 pick was a guarantee, the Miami Heat will likely fall somewhere in the middle of the first round. Which means there is a lot of ground to cover. We’ll provide analysis, links to better analysis, and thoughts about each player’s fit with the Heat. We will update this occasionally all the way up to the draft. It’s your one-stop shop for everything Heat draft related. Enjoy!
I had the pleasure of watching Markelle Fultz in person when he played Cal in Berkeley but, unfortunately, it was one of his worse games of the season. I still came away impressed, and without any doubts that he’s a future All-Star at the NBA level. The game looks easy for him. Fultz can run at full speed while slowing down the game — like LeBron James and James Harden. Fultz has offensive moves for days — dribble spin, the step back, the crossover — and, despite playing on one of the worst rosters in college basketball, is still adept at finding his teammates for open shots. Fultz can make his teammates better and, when playing with NBA-caliber players, he will shine. – Wes Goldberg
Best player in college basketball and it’s not all that close. Last nine games, averages of 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks on splits of .469/.410/.636. Assist numbers would be even higher with better teammates. Only concern is that his individual excellence hasn’t led to wins: Huskies are an abysmal 9-21 on the season. If it didn’t matter for Ben Simmons, it won’t for Fultz, either. – Frank Urbina
From Cole Zwicker’s breakdown earlier this season for The Step Back:
"A lot of NBA prospects have elite run and jump athleticism. What truly separates elite lead guards especially is the ability to change speeds with the ball, and it’s hard to recall a prospect who does that as well as Fultz.He’s almost impossible to keep out of the lane with his jitterbug shake and slipperiness, which has been on display in full over the first two games. Fultz is a threat to go any direction at any moment, while pairing that with the ability to pull-up on a dime and doing all this with his head up reading the floor. It’s entirely unfair for opposing defenders."
If Fultz is the best player in college hoops, then Ball is the most exciting. The UCLA point guard is averaging 7.8 assists to just 2.5 turnovers. His 3.13 assist-to-turnover ratio is 11th-highest in the country, best among freshmen playing in major conferences. And despite concerns over his unorthodox shooting form, Ball is shooting 42.4 percent from three on the year, 43.2 over his last eight games. – Frank Urbina
Cole Zwicker broke down Lonzo Ball’s game in this January piece at The Step Back:
"Ball has helped cultivate a pass-first, unselfish brand of basketball and the UCLA Bruins’ combination of high pace and floor-spacing combines to make for an aesthetically appealing product. UCLA is first in the country in assists per game, averages the 17th most possessions per game, and is currently seventh overall in Kenpom’s adjusted offensive efficiency. Some of that is opposition, as the Texas A&M Aggies have really been UCLA’s only challenge thus far. But the numbers speak for themselves. Ball should unquestionably share in his team’s exploits thus far, but the fact he he has a spaced floor and multiple playmakers to share the creation burden operating in basically an ideal environment has to weigh in."
From Cole Zwicker’s video breakdown of Fultz for The Step Back:
"There has been much debate about Smith’s playmaking for others by way of vision, decision-making and instincts. In this class of non-international lead guards, I’d rank the group as passers from best to worst: Lonzo Ball, Fultz, Fox and then Smith. I’d probably grade Smith’s vision as average to slightly above average for a starting NBA lead guard projecting forward in his prime, with his decision-making (a difficult delineation) probably a peg below average. And honestly, that’s fine. Smith is a lead guard who scores first and passes second, which is basically what the position is these days."
Frank Urbina broke down Josh Jackson’s game, and how he might fit with the Miami Heat, earlier this year (before the 13-game win streak).
There is a battle for the best wing available after Josh Jackson, and Cole Zwicker broke down Tatum versus Isaac after Duke played Florida State.
Tatum gets the slight edge over Isaac because he’s a more natural scorer. You can put the ball in his hands, and he can cook. In Isaac’s case, he’s more effective in catch-and-shoot situations or cutting without the ball. He’s very good at it, but he’s limited athletically. Tatum has higher upside due to his scoring potential and versatility. – Wes Goldberg
Also, Frank Urbina broke down Isaac and his potential fit with the Heat:
Scouting Jonathan Isaac and his potential fit with Miami Heat
The Miami Heat need improvements at power forward and on the wing. Could they solve both problems with one player in the 2017 NBA Draft?
We tend to overthink the draft process. Sometimes I’ll watch a player and I know he can ball. Monk doesn’t have great size, or doesn’t do anything better than 75 percent of the other prospects besides shoot. But, man, Monk gets buckets. His intangibles are off the charts. He rises to the occasion, he makes winning shots, he’s got a Star name. These are all equally important things. Monk has alpha written all over him, and I want Monk on my team. – Wes Goldberg
In February, Frank Urbina broke down Monk’s potential fit with the Heat.
Scouting Malik Monk’s potential fit with the Miami Heat
Malik Monk is one of the best scorers in college basketball. Here's a look at his strengths and weaknesses, and how he would fit in on the Miami Heat.
Cole Zwicker broke down Lauri Markkanen for The Step Back, and his stretch-4 potential.
Lauri Markkanen and the game of trade-offs
Lauri Markkanen is being touted as a top-10 pick in next year's draft. This is mainly due to his outlier offensive ability at 7-foot, but defense matters.
Though undersized for a PF, Bridges is a freaking beast. Strong, stout, explosive, versatile. 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.6 blocks per game. Shooting splits of .487/.408/.662. There were concerns about his slow, funky release, but hoisting 5.0 threes on average and converting on a healthy rate. Would give Miami a fun option to play between Winslow and Whiteside. If he can maintain his shooting against NBA defenders, would be a steal at 10. – Frank Urbina
Long, decently athletic point guard playing overseas. Not a position of need, but, like Fox, you could take him if he falls to the late-teens and let him sit for a few years, before replacing Dragic. Similar situation to Dennis Shroeder backing up Jeff Teague for the Hawks, eventually making Teague expendable after three years of being his backup. – Frank Urbina
Huge, skilled, athletic. Teams want the next Kristaps Porzingis, could that player be Hartenstein? Low production as a pro in Europe along with maturity concerns hurt his stock a bit. If he’s the player he’s been projected to be, would slot in perfectly as Miami’s stretch-4 of the future. – Frank Urbina
If the Heat are looking for upside on the board when they pick, Hartenstein is it. He has the athleticism and talent to be a future unicorn. Or he can bust. – Wes Goldberg
Absolute monster freshman, averaging 11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks on 55.8 percent shooting. Bad free-throw shooter, not a threat away from the basket. Would be taken as best player available, with hopes he could replace Whiteside eventually. If Miami drafts Williams and he comes on sooner than expected, could make Whiteside a replaceable asset. – Frank Urbina
If Willie Reed gets away in free agency, drafting a center with upside (if he’s the best player available) makes sense, given that the Heat want to play 48 minutes with a true center. Having a young, stud backup behind Whiteside also helps on those nights where he isn’t bringing the energy. – Wes Goldberg
He tore his ACL early in the college basketball season, but was arguably a top-10 pick before the injury. If the Heat feel comfortable with his health and can wait on his recovery, they could grab the steal of the draft in the middle of the first round. Anunoby is potentially a lock-down perimeter defender with length and athleticism to pair nicely next to Justise Winslow. Anunoby and Winslow could become the league’s most dominant perimeter defense duo, and both have upside on the offensive end of the ball. – Wes Goldberg
Collins is an old-school power forward in that he’s not remotely a threat from deep. Solid back-down game, decent mid-range jump shooter, pulling down 9.8 rebounds and blocking 1.6 shots per game. Reminds me of Taj Gibson of the OKC Thunder. Spacing might be an issue next to Whiteside, but the defense would be insane. – Frank Urbina
Frank has Collins over Rabb, but I have Rabb over Collins. Neither has proven to be a perimeter shooter, but Rabb has the potential. He just hasn’t been asked to do it at Cal. Rabb is already an NBA-level rebounder and is a smart defender. That would get him on the court for Miami, and could play minutes as a small-ball 5. Rabb has the fundamentals down and, if he could work on his outside jumper and be more aggressive on offense, could be a solid contributor for years. – Wes Goldberg
Great size for a wing (6-foot-8). Has improved as a junior to 38.5 percent from three on 6.9 attempts per game. Averaging 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists. If his newfound three-point shooting is real, and his ball handle can get just a bit tighter, could be a great fit for the Heat next to Winslow. – Frank Urbina
Jackson can get buckets, but don’t sleep on his passing ability. He has good court vision and above-average touch. Would work well as a floor spacer right away and, if he improves his handle, could develop into an extra ball handler in Miami’s drive-and-kick game. – Wes Goldberg
Fast, agile, athletic, crafty, great distributor. Not the perfect fit because he’s a pure point guard but could be taken as best player available and groomed to be the eventual replacement for Dragic (who’s about to be 31). – Frank Urbina
He can’t shoot. – Wes Goldberg
Luke Babbitt will be a free agent after the season and the Heat may be looking for a stretch-4 they can plug in to that spot. Lydon is shooting over 40 percent on 3.5 three-point attempts per game over his two-year career at Syracuse. The Heat would maintain it’s floor spacing lineup while replacing Babbitt with someone with more upside. At 6-foot-8, 205 pounds, he could afford to add some weight to stand up to opposing 4s, but he can work on that when he gets to South Beach. – Wes Goldberg
The final two spots on the big board is a three-way tie between Justin Patton, Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan.