Jaime Jaquez Jr. emerged as the steal of the 2023 draft – a homerun pick by the Miami Heat at No. 18 last June.
Can they do it again?
The Heat are armed with the 15th pick in Wednesday night’s first round. They’ve hit on their last two first-round picks with Jaquez and Nikola Jovic both playing a role in the rotation last season.
While Jaquez was 22 when he was drafted, the Heat aren’t committed to selecting an older player. In fact, GM Adam Simon said “upside” is an operative word in Miami’s war room and the front office will look closely at the younger players in the class.
Can the Miami Heat, with the 15th pick, find the steal of the draft for the second year in a row?
“The history of the draft and the formula shows that taking a player with upside at the top of the draft, there’s more success than taking an older player,” Simon told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “There’s a reason for that. But, in every draft, there is a 22-year-old, a 23-year-old that was taken later, a Draymond Green, a Jimmy Butler, a Des Bane, a Jaime. There’s plenty of examples of that. But if you just look based on history, it’s going to tell you the best players in the league, the majority of them came out when they were 18, 19, 20 years old.”
Maybe this is a smokescreen, or maybe Simon spoke in earnest. Either way, the Heat’s options are open. Young players with upside like Ron Holland, Ja’Kobe Walter, Carlton Carrington and Kyshawn George could be difficult to pass up. But there are other, older players moving up draft boards like Devin Carter, Zach Edey and Tyler Kolek.
But what made Jaquez such a great pick was not his age – it was his fit. It was the fact that when the Heat made their selection, the league groaned. Man, that’s a perfect Heat guy. How did we let them get him?
So who could be this year’s Jaquez? A Heat guy who will make an immediate impact? Here are six names to know.
1. Devin Carter, guard, Providence
Carter might be the draft’s biggest riser after a strong junior year and showing off his elite athleticism at the draft combine. Scouts laud his competitiveness and leadership skills and his fans tend to believe his 38% mark from 3-point range after two sub-30% seasons from deep is a trend and not an aberration.
But it’s not just the intangibles that stick out. Carter had the production to back it up, averaging 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks to go along with 19.7 points during his junior year.
In Miami, Carter’s on-ball defense, hustle and toughness would fit seamlessly in the locker room. The fact that he’s the son of former Heat player and assistant coach Anthony Carter doesn’t hurt, either.
Even with Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson under contract, Carter could fill minutes at either guard position and, because of his defensive impact and ability to make open 3s, play in any lineup.