Although another batch of NBA rookies have officially arrived in the league, none are heading to South Florida via the Miami Heat. Nevertheless, the AllUCanHeat staff has a thing or two to say about the 2018 NBA Draft.
First things first: rank your top five Woj synonyms for “select”
Allana Tachauer (@AllanaTachauer): Let me first just say that if I’m being completely honest, Woj’s tweets were easily the best part of the night. Between the Heat not having a pick and absolutely no trades taking place outside of the draft itself, it was a bit of a snooze fest. But then came Woj, in all his glory. My top five favorites? “Unlikely to resist,” “enamored,” “tantalized,” “fixated” and “have no plans to pass on.”
Brandon Johnson (@bjtripleot): Is it awful that I “selectively” tuned them out after a while? Don’t get me wrong, Woj is a gem but sometimes I just want to pass on the theatrics and get to the nitty gritty. I come for the Wojbombs, and nothing else!
Dario Ramos (@RamosHeat305): My five in order are “tantalized,” “laser,” “fixated,” “unlikely to resist,” and “enamored”.
Ivan Mora (@moraivan): He had so many. “Tantalized” was a good one. “Zeroed” and “fixated” were also highlights, but the best one by far was “lasered in.” That one pretty much made the entire NBA Twitter world happy. I know it did me.
Rich Nurse (@followthepen): My top five would have to be “fixated”, “locked on”, “zeroed”, “tantalized” and “has a laser on.”
Editor’s Note: Lauren Gewirtz (@laurengewirtz) is currently overseas and was unable to follow Woj’s word games.
Favorite look of the night?
Tachauer: So overall, I loved Lonnie Walker’s whole vibe. From the suit to the hair to the glasses… it just worked. Nevermind the fact that his draft hat looks like it was levitating. Mikal Bridges was also looking fresh though (and apparently knows how to make sipping water look extra good too). And Jaren Jackson Jr. certainly deserves props for that crushed velvet pink blazer.
Johnson: People seemed to be split on this, but I vote for Trae Young’s shorts suit. Sure, having a flag sewn into your jacket is cool, but shorts are the new wave. I’m talking 24/7, any occasion. Job interview? Yep. Prom? Sure. Funeral? I’d better be buried in a shorts suit combo.
Ramos: I liked Luka Doncic’s outfit choice the best. He kept it simple and classy.
Mora: I liked Trae Young’s suit shorts. I’m not always a big fan of that look overall, but yesterday’s was pretty good. It suited him (no pun intended). I feel that is going to be the new look moving forward.
Nurse: If I had to pick, it would be Lonnie Walker IV’s or anything the opposite of suits with shorts (Trae Young) and whatever that was that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on.
Gewirtz: My favorite look of the night was Jaren Jackson Jr.’s of Michigan State, because of the pink colored velvet jacket. I thought it was a great statement piece without being too over the top. The white shirt and black bow tie kept it classic.
What pick surprised you the most?
Tachauer: I wasn’t at all expecting the Luka Doncic trade from the Atlanta Hawks to the Dallas Mavericks, despite it ultimately making sense for the organization in the long run. Really, I just want him in Miami alongside Goran Dragic. Imagine what a beautiful partnership that would be.
Johnson: I can’t say I’m insanely surprised given his injury outlook, but it was shocking to see how far Michael Porter Jr. dipped. His back is questionable, but to my knowledge he performed well enough during workouts and feels confident in himself. Plus, as long as he doesn’t end up like Greg Oden I’d call him a success.
Ramos: I was surprised at Jerome Robinson being selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 13. I thought he’d be a late first or even early second rounder for sure.
Mora: Porter Jr. falling to the 14th pick to the Nuggets. I know he is injury prone and that raised a lot of question marks, but I was still shocked to see him fall that low. The Denver Nuggets won the draft though. They legitimately have a contender now and great floor spacing. I think they are going to make some noise next season.
Nurse: Mo Bamba to the Orlando Magic surprised me because they’re one of the few teams that I never heard in the running for him. But Atlanta’s front office versus ownership blunder can be thanked for that.
Gewirtz: The pick that surprised me the most was Michael Porter Jr., simply because he was picked quite a while later than a lot of mock drafts had him. I think a lot of teams may have been concerned about his injury, considering he only played three games this season.
Do you wish the Miami Heat traded for a pick? If so, who did you want them to select?
Tachauer: At the risk of having the entirety of Heat Nation turn against me, I’m actually really glad the front office sat this one out. I was nervous going into today, especially as the rumor mill continuously picked up as the draft got closer and closer. But now I’m breathing a sigh of relief. I would have been okay with Miami using cash considerations and/or future picks to add a guy, but I hated the idea of moving someone like Justise Winslow. To me, the team already has a great young core in him, Bam Adebayo and Josh Richardson. So it makes sense for president Pat Riley to instead focus on luring over veteran talent.
Johnson: If it meant giving up Winslow as various reports suggested, then I’m fine that Miami kept out of the draft. The Heat have a solid young core, and should prioritize getting the finances right over adding more youth. Rookies are inexpensive thrill rides, but Miami’s vision is farther sighted than any one prospect in this draft pool.
Ramos: Yes, I do; I felt like Khyri Thomas from Creighton would have been a great and realistic get for the team in the second round.
Mora: Yes, I wish they had. They have a good team, but not a contender and their young core is taking them longer than expected to develop. Plus they have some bad contracts. I wish they would’ve been more active, but I trust Riley. He knows what he’s doing and I know it will pay off later on.
Nurse: I would have loved for the Heat to be able to trade into the first round for a Kevin Knox or Chandler Hutchison (and a little Justise Winslow relief).
Gewirtz: I had mixed feelings about the Heat trading in for a pick. When I heard that Winslow was in trade discussions to get into the first round, I was not on board because Winslow has a lot of potential and is still growing as a player. Trading him just to get another player to start that training process all over again was not worth it to me, unless it was a top 15 pick. If they did have a pick, I would have hoped it to be a PF/C with good footwork and some perimeter shooting skills.
Next: Miami Heat: Tyler Johnson's is not the contract to dump
Now, the real offseason fun begins for the Miami Heat.