NBA Mock Draft: Ranking top 15 realistic prospects for the Miami Heat

12. Noah Clowney, F, Alabama

In theory, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if the Miami Heat decided to roll the dice on a power forward in the 2023 NBA Draft. If they come across a prospect that they feel would be a great fit next to Bam Adebayo – at either the PF or center position – they should probably pull the trigger.

Noah Clowney could be an option late in the first round and coming off a positive freshman season, he’ll probably get some consideration.

But while he fits the bill of what you would want as an athletic power forward in the modern NBA, there are still aspects of his game that are very much unknown. And that’s probably the biggest reason why he’s begun to fall down NBA Draft boards recently. During pre-draft workouts, teams must figure out if Clowney can be an effective shooter outside the paint – he shot 28 percent from 3 during his freshman season at Alabama.

There are a lot of NBA characteristics found in Clowney. The big question is whether or not those outweigh the potential risks with his limited offensive game at this point in his progression. Because of that, I don’t believe the Heat will have Clowney that high on their draft big board. Maybe I’m wrong?