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Miami Heat: 15 best draft picks in franchise history

By Bryan Toporek

MIAMI, FL - APRIL 21: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat brings the ball up the court in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena on April 21, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dwyane Wade
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 21: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat brings the ball up the court in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Four of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena on April 21, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dwyane Wade /
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Sherman Douglas, Miami Heat
(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Career stats with Miami: 159 GP, 16.0 PPG, 7.9 APG, 2.6 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 50.0 FG%, 14.3 3FG%, 68.7 FT% 

Miami has been shockingly adept at finding capable contributors with second-round picks over the years, but few can top Sherman Douglas despite his abbreviated Heat tenure.

After finishing 15-67 in their debut season, the Heat had the top overall pick in the second round of the 1989 draft. They used said selection on Douglas, who was fresh off a superlative career at Syracuse in which he averaged at least 16 points and 7.5 assists in each of his final three collegiate seasons.

The General carried that success over to the Association, where he quickly supplanted Rory Sparrow as the Heat’s starting point guard and earned a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie first team. Though he started only one of his first 16 games as a rookie, he went on to start each of his final 65 outings, chipping in 15.2 points on 49.7 percent shooting, 8.1 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31.9 minutes per game.

Douglas built upon his rookie-year success the following season, when he led the team in points (18.5), assists (8.5), steals (1.7) and minutes (35.1) per game while starting in each of his 73 appearances. He had the highest PER (18.0) and the most win shares (5.4) of any Heat player that season, and he was the only one who had a positive mark in offensive box plus/minus.

As a restricted free agent in the summer of 1991, Douglas turned down a reported four-year offer worth roughly $10 million, according to Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated, “because he felt his value on the open market would be greater than that.” Instead, the Heat matched an offer sheet from the Los Angeles Lakers in mid-December, and Douglas held out until the calendar flipped to 1992 before returning to the court.

With the Heat having selected point guard Steve Smith with the fifth overall pick in the 1991 draft, they had less of a need for a frustrated Douglas, so they shipped him to the Boston Celtics for Brian Shaw in mid-January. Douglas bounced around the league over the next decade between the Heat, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, but he never again reached the heights he did during his sophomore season.

Next: No. 5

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