One of the core problems for the Miami Heat once they traded away Jimmy Butler was the lack of guys who could go out and just get buckets as needed. Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Andrew Wiggins all fall into the category of solid scorers, but none have made the leap as elite scorers, as Miami finished 21st in ORTG this season.
After hitting on Kel'el Ware in last year's draft, most seem to think Miami is going to look for a scorer this year with the No. 20 pick, and one player they keep getting linked to is a player from inside the Sunshine State.
Miami Heat are consistently linked to Florida's Walter Clayton Jr.
If you are a Florida Gators fan, you need no introduction to Walter Clayton Jr.
If you are not a Gators fan and/or a college basketball fan, here's what you need to know: He has the potential to be the perfect value in the NBA Draft for where Miami is selecting at No. 20.
Defense is a concern for Clayton, but it was much better with Florida this past season than it looked during the 2023-24 campaign.
The upside of Clayton is that he has the ceiling to instantly be a 15+ point scorer off the bench for the Heat and a 20+ point guy down the road.
Watching Cleveland shrink in the second round of the playoffs as the spotlight grew brighter serves as a reminder for what teams like the Heat should be looking for in their players. As the lights get brighter, Clayton elevates his game.
Keep in mind that Clayton became the first player since Larry Bird to score 30+ points in an Elite Eight and Final Four. And when Houston decided to spend all their resources to stop Clayton in the national title game, he didn't pout or shrink. He bided his time and started to take over in the second half.
With Alec Burks set to be a free agent and Terry Rozier losing favor in Miami, Clayton could easily slot into 20 minutes a night, and it isn't impossible to envision a pathway where Clayton pushes Davion Mitchell for a starting spot alongside Herro.
If one is looking for a limitless potential to rotate in for a guard group that could still benefit from one more true scorer, don't sleep on Clayton if he is still available at no. 20.