Who is Chandler Hutchison?
The 2018 NBA Draft is only a few hours away, and Miami Heat fans still have no idea what to expect.
While the team doesn’t technically have a pick in tonight’s draft (with their first rounders going to the Phoenix Suns and their second rounder going to the Houston Rockets), it’s still very likely president Pat Riley will find a way to get involved.
Most are expecting the front office to strike a deal for a late second round pick, either by way of cash considerations or future draft picks. But there are also rumors swirling that the Heat are instead aiming higher.
In other words, that Miami is gunning for a first round pick tonight.
To take things a step further, a few names of prospects have actually surfaced.
Heat has explored acquiring first rounder tonight. One player they like is Boise State 6-7 forward Chandler Hutchinson, who averaged 20 points and 7.7 rbs last season.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) June 21, 2018
So who exactly is this Chandler Hutchison?
Well, for starters, he’s known as someone who has an extremely high basketball IQ. And who has stayed loyal to the game, instead of having given in to outside temptation.
"“Every AAU program in Southern California was trying to get him for their team. Free ride this, free shoes. The kid stayed really loyal to me. I was very hard on him,” said Perry Webster, Hutchinson’s coach at Team Eastbay, a grassroots high school program. “I demanded a lot of him. I screamed at him, I yelled at him. And he looked me in the eye and took it. I realized, this kid is pretty special because he’s not running away from what he is.”"
Instead, he kept working at perfecting his craft, and making sure he surrounded himself with people who really had his best interest at heart. Which is exactly why he chose to commit to Boise State, instead of Pac-12 schools like Oregon and USC that had also shown interest in the forward.
"“They’re like, hey, he’s going to Boise State, he’s not on a major shoe company team. How good can he be? But if he can play, he can play. It doesn’t matter if he’s not on the adidas circuit, he’s not in the EYBL,” said Joel Francisco, a former ESPN recruiting insider."
And the kid could certainly play.
He averaged 20.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game in 31.0 minutes of play his senior year, while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from downtown. On January 13 against San Diego State, Hutchison finished with 44 points in 35 minutes, on 15-of-21 shooting from the field.
Quite intriguing, no?
Now most so-called draft experts currently have the prospect headed to Chicago via the Bulls, while Hutchison himself has expressed interest in the Utah Jazz. However, it’s still worth noting that the Heat have their eyes on him. And it’s easy to see why management thinks he could be a good fit with the culture.
Next: Miami Heat: Coming down to the 2018 NBA Draft
Will the Miami Heat end up with a first rounder like Hutchison on their hands? Time will tell.