NBA Draft prospects for the Miami Heat to watch in Kentucky vs North Carolina
By Wes Goldberg
Bam Adebayo
Kentucky’s explosive freshman center Bam Adebayo has the highest upside of anyone in this game besides the lottery picks. At 6-foot-10, with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, Adebayo is a rim-rolling behemoth with athleticism he quite hasn’t figured out how to leverage completely.
He can two things well right now, and that’s dunk the ball and rebound. Not unlike the early showings from Hassan Whiteside.
Draft Express currently ranks Adebayo as the no. 30 prospect, which means he should still be on the board by the time the Heat are picking. Choosing Adebayo would allow the Heat to part ways with backup center Willie Reed, who could command a hefty salary this summer, and not lose out on its backup rim protection. As Reed does now, Adebayo could help push Whiteside and possibly one day make him (and his $20 million-plus salary) expendable.
Adebayo is raw, but he’s only 19 years old. Drafting him would be a long-term play by the Heat.