All U Can Heat
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
12 of 16
Next
Steven Smith, Miami Heat
(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Career stats with Miami: 202 GP, 14.4 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 45.1 FG%, 34.6 3FG%, 80.2 FT%

With Douglas heading into restricted free agency in 1991, the Heat gave themselves a backup plan by selecting 6’7″ combo guard Steve Smith with the No. 5 overall pick in that year’s draft.

In Douglas’ absence, Smith moved into Miami’s starting lineup from day one, beginning his NBA career with a 24-point, six-rebound, five-assist outing against the New York Knicks in his regular-season debut. He finished his rookie season having averaged 12.0 points and a team-high 4.6 assists across 61 outings, 59 of which he started.

As the Heat weighed how to end Douglas’ holdout, Smith showed enough flashes to give them confidence in riding him moving forward.

“The biggest reason that NBA observers consider the future of the Heat to be hot is the presence of a quarterback whose size, talent and unselfishness is evocative of another Michigan State product, Magic Johnson,” Sports Illustrated‘s Jack McCallum wrote in mid-January 1992.

Injuries limited Smith to only 48 games a sophomore, but he bumped his averages to 16.0 points on 45.1 percent shooting, 5.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds when he was healthy enough to suit up. The following season, he wound up averaging 17.3 points on 45.6 percent shooting — each of which were his career best to date — to go with 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 35.6 minutes per game.

The Heat wound up sending Smith with Grant Long and their 1996 second-round draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks for Kevin Willis and a 1996 first-round draft pick. Less than a year later, Miami hired Pat Riley as its team president and head coach, which set the stage for the team’s success over the past two-plus decades.

Next: No. 4

Home/Heat All-Time Lists