1. Do you prioritize a scoring guard or backup big in the draft?
The Heat had a significant amount of problems as to why they were once again a play-in team, but the two that have stood out are offense and a backup big man behind Bam. The Heat must decide which direction they want to go with their 15th pick.
Going with the scoring guard may be risky, considering that the Heat have Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson all locked in for next season. However, Miami ranked 26th in scoring this season, only putting up 110.1 PPG, which is the worst of any team who made the postseason.
Options Miami could go with include Devin Carter from Providence, Ja'Kobe Walter out of Baylor, Jared McCain from Duke, Isaiah Collier from USC, and potentially Nikola Topic or Cody WIlliams if they were to fall. Miami could go that route or decide to take a backup big.
For years, it has been challenging to find the perfect center that could come in and produce when Bam Adebayo is on the bench; from Dewayne Dedmon to Thomas Bryant, and even trying Kevin Love at the five, nothing has worked consistently since the departure of Kelly Olynyk in 2021 via the Victor Oladipo trade.
The obvious option in the first round would be Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4 phenom and two-time Wooden Award winner out of Purdue. Edey used his size efficiently to finish at the rim and can anchor a defense, being both a shot blocker and a reliable rebounder. Miami will have to decide whether scoring or big-man depth is more valuable when they are on the clock next week.