Miami Heat: Pat Riley & Co. Might Have Done It Again With DeJon Jarreau
The Miami Heat exited the 2021 NBA Draft without picking a single player in either of the rounds. While the running thought was that they might trade back into the draft, the first round even if they liked someone enough, that wasn’t to be the case on Thursday night.
As everything went down, Cade Cunningham going first and everything else falling right as Woj and Shams would report it, the draft came and went without a hitch. Again though, at the end of it all, the Miami Heat were without any new players.
That though, of course, is only the beginning of this story. The Miami Heat, a team known for being able to take less heralded guys and turn them into quality pro players, got active as soon as the draft ended.
It was there time to shine, as that’s where they tend to shine the brightest in all honesty, overachieving on guys that go by the wayside for most others. The same is no different about one of the guys they brought in on the Undrafted Free Agent market, a big guard and overachiever out of Houston, DeJon Jarreau.
The Miami Heat didn’t make a single pick in either round of the 2021 NBA Draft, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t get better on Thursday night.
A 6’5″ and tough as nails guard out of New Orleans, Jarreau was the heart and soul of his Houston team. After suffering a hip injury in the opening rounds of this last NCAA Tourney, Jarreau continued to fight for his team, helping them all the way to the Final Four before being ousted by eventual champion, Baylor Bears.
The Miami Heat have been in a position of needing a playmaker at the lead guard spot for a few years now. With Jimmy Butler taking on a much larger playmaking role since arriving in Miami, one that he should look to maintain, they could benefit from another guy being able to set him up once in a while too.
There are two more things in particular to really like about Jarreau though. As mentioned, he’s a big guard and he’s a defensive pest.
While he is a very capable playmaker, his defense is what might really set him apart at the next level. It’s just a summer league situation right now, but with Jarreau’s skillset, size, ability, and the heart he showed through the Tournament, he should make the Miami Heat’s team.
You, at least, hope that they find a way to hold on to him with a two-way spot. However, at his age and with his experience, he should be able to contribute right away for Miami and you hope that is what’s in the cards for his future.