All U Can Heat
Fansided

NBA lottery mock draft: Teams get crazy with trades, Heat land the perfect fit

By Wes Goldberg

Mar 23, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) looks to pass as Purdue Boilermakers guard Ryan Cline (14) defends during the first half in the semifinals of the midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) looks to pass as Purdue Boilermakers guard Ryan Cline (14) defends during the first half in the semifinals of the midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 8
Next
Feb 25, 2017; Clemson, SC, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) attempts bring in the rebound while being defended by Clemson Tigers guard Avry Holmes (12) and forward Jaron Blossomgame (5) during the first half at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Clemson, SC, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) attempts bring in the rebound while being defended by Clemson Tigers guard Avry Holmes (12) and forward Jaron Blossomgame (5) during the first half at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Boston: Jonathan Isaac, Forward, Florida State

The Celtics pull the first stunner of the draft, passing up Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum for the other forward in the draft, Jonathan Isaac. Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported this week that Isaac “has crept into the speculation” for the No. 3 pick and, I for one, believe it. The Celtics like to go against the grain–they did so by selecting Jaylen Brown with the third pick last summer.

Isaac simply checks too many boxes–length, 3-point shooting, possible rim protection–to ignore, and Boston is forward-looking enough to see that the future of the NBA looks like players like Isaac.

4. Phoenix: Jayson Tatum, Small Forward, Duke

The Suns could take Josh Jackson here, but you need to score to keep up in the Western Conference. So they take the Duke forward Jayson Tatum instead. Tatum has been compared to Paul Pierce and Danny Granger and, if has that short of gets-buckets-ness to him, he’ll be an awesome complement to Devin Booker on the wing.

The Suns would have a young core of Booker, Tatum, Marquise Chriss and Dragan Bender, with Eric Bledsoe in place to lead the charge. That’s a long, athletic group with a bright future. Sure, the Suns pass up on Jackson’s potential elite defense, but Tatum should be good enough on that end. Booker was sensational in his first two seasons, but he can’t shoulder the scoring load all on his own. Tatum’s scoring is just too good to pass up.

Home/Heat Draft