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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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Rony Seikaly, Miami Heat
(Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Career stats with Miami: 439 GP, 15.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 48.3 FG%, 16.7 3FG%, 66.2 FT% 

Rony Seikaly will always hold a special place in Heat history, as he was the franchise’s first-ever draft pick at No. 9 overall in 1988.

It didn’t hurt that he had a productive six years in Miami, either.

Kevin Edwards and Grant Long overshadowed Seikaly in the Heat’s inaugural season, but the Syracuse product flipped the tables in 1989-90. That year, Seikaly led all Miami players in points (16.6), rebounds (10.4), blocks (1.7) and minutes (32.6) per game while starting 72 of his 74 outings, which resulted in his winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

Seikaly was remarkably consistent over the following four seasons, averaging a double-double while finishing with at least 15 points and 10 rebounds per game each year. He still holds the Heat’s single-game rebounding record after pulling down an eye-popping 34 boards against the Washington Bullets in March 1993, and he sprinkled in 18 outings of 30 or more points throughout his Miami tenure, too.

To this day, Seikaly ranks third on the all-time Heat leaderboard in rebounds (4,544), fourth in blocks (610), fifth in games started (395) and sixth in points (6,742). His Miami tenure came to an end in November 1994 when the Heat shipped him to the Golden State Warriors for Sasha Danilovic and Billy Owens, much to the chagrin of their fans.

The “Spin Doctor” gave the Heat a foundation to build around down low in their early seasons, which makes Seikaly one of the franchise’s three best draft picks of all time.

Next: No. 2

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