The Miami Heat may never be able to live down their decision to pass on Tyrese Maxey to choose Precious Achiuwa in the 2020 NBA Draft.
With the 20th pick, the Heat could've taken Maxey, and reportedly considered it, but ultimately chose to go with Achiuwa, a versatile big man. This is one of those moves that has consistently haunted the Heat since, and is a mistake that was on full display for Heat fans as Maxey helped lead the 76ers to a Game 7 win on the road against the Boston Celtics.
Maxey finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists on 11-18 shooting from the field as the 76ers, for the first time in team history, came back from down 3-1 in a playoff series. Perhaps more impressive, the 76ers did it as the 7th seed.
Tyrese Maxey is the one that got away
In many ways, Maxey could represent the one that got away for the Heat. Had Miami taken Maxey, there's a very good chance that the past six years would have gone a lot differently than they have. Perhaps Maxey is a piece that is enough to put the Heat over the top in either one of their two NBA Finals appearances over the last six years.
Either way, there's no question the Heat would be in a much better position than they find themselves at the moment.
With a world of uncertainty awaiting the Heat heading into the offseason, having Maxey on this roster right now would give the Heat one less thing to worry about. Now, depending on how the next few months shake out, the entire blueprint can be on the line.
At the very least, perhaps this is one thing that the Heat can learn from. And maybe they have.
Even though the Heat whiffed on Maxey, Miami has consistently been one of the better drafting teams in the Association. They haven't hit on a star as bright as Maxey, but most of that is because the Heat isn't necessarily selecting high in the draft.
And even though Maxey was selected 21st overall, finding a player that good that late in the first round is never that common. In some ways, the 76ers did get lucky with that selection. But, generally speaking, luck does play into the draft.
The luck fell to Miami back in 2020; they just didn't take it.
Nevertheless, especially as Maxey leads the 76ers to an unlikely playoff run, this is one of those misses that continues to linger for Heat fans. And as long as Maxey is successful and Miami continues to struggle with mediocrity, it's going to sting for Heat fans.
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