Pivoting their focus to the 2025 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat may be looking to upgrade their offense in a big way, as there continues to be major smoke surrounding the possibility of the team taking Walter Clayton Jr. with the No. 20 pick. As a player who could help immediately, Clayton Jr. could be emerging as a potential draft favorite for Miami.
According to Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports, Clayton Jr. has had "multiple workouts with the Heat and recently canceled workouts with other teams selecting late in the first round". With that information, we can only assume that the Heat, at the very least, has a tangible interest in making Clayton Jr. their selection with the No. 20 pick.
If we wanted, we could even make the leap that the Heat may have given Clayton Jr. some sort of assurance that if they make a selection at No. 20, and he's still there, that he will be the selection for the team.
Clayton Jr. is coming off a season in which he helped lead the Florida Gators to a National Championship, averaging 22 points and three assists on 47 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range in the NCAA Tournament.
Walter Clayton Jr. would fit the Heat protoypical player
It would hardly be a surprise if the Heat ended up selecting Clayton Jr. with the No. 20 overall pick. He's a prolific offensive talent who has the toughness and tenacity that the Heat envies in young players and prospects.
Are there concerns and holes in his game? Absolutely. There's a reason he's projected to be selected late in the first round and not in the lottery. He's undersized for a combo guard, at 6-foot-2, and is not a natural point guard. He's proven to have some hesitation in his decision-making with the ball in his hands when he's not looking at the basket, and it would be a massive understatement to suggest he leaves much to be desired on the defensive end of the floor.
All that said, Clayton Jr. is still one of the best shooters and overall offensive minds in this draft class, while proving to be one of the most clutch players in college basketball this past season.
If Miami is looking for a player who will be able to contribute right away, Clayton Jr. should be among the prospects that fit that description. The question is, do his positives out weight the negatives? That's the gamble that the Heat must calculate between now and Thursday night.
Who knows what Miami ends up doing on draft night, but if they do end up making a selection at No. 20, it does seem that Clayton Jr. is going to be heavily considered if he's still on the board.