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The Miami Heat don't own a second round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Nonetheless, here are five prospects worth knowing in case they were to acquire one.
Most pundits consider the 2017 NBA Draft class one of the deepest in recent memory. The teams picking in the top eight — which will be littered with talents like Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum — will reap the largest benefits. However, the after-effects of such a loaded draft up top means there's sure to be a trickle-down of talent that will reward multiple organizations.
And that trickle-down will likely go all the way down through the end of the first round and into the top of the second. As such, many of those same draft analysts also believe this year's second round will yield multiple serviceable role players.
The Miami Heat, unfortunately, currently do not own a second round pick. Miami traded them away by attaching them to bad contracts in order to get under the luxury tax. (Goes without saying, it was the right move; there's no reason for team owner Micky Arison to be footing a huge bill for a team merely fighting for playoff contention.)
Unfortunately, that means it won't be easy for Pat Riley's team to get in on the fun. Making it doubly painful for Heat fans is the fact that Miami has been excellent in the second round. Guys like Josh Richardson, Mario Chalmers and Rasual Butler were all taken between picks No. 31 and No. 60.
Nonetheless, there's still some hope. After all, the South Florida franchise didn't have a second round pick in 2013 either, but still found a way to acquire one in order to take a player they really liked in James Ennis.
If that were to happen again this year, here are five guys worth taking a gamble on in the second round.
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5. Frank Jackson, PG, Duke
Though the Heat don't really need a backup point guard, acquiring one for cheap wouldn't hurt either. One way to do just that is through the draft, with a second round prospect like Frank Jackson.
The former Duke Blue Devil spent one year at the blue blood program. In 2016-17, he averaged 10.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists nightly — mundane numbers, if we're being totally honest, and a stat line that subtlety said: Maybe this guy should spend a second season in college?
However, Jackson used a late-year run of superb play to boost his NBA prospects. Over his last nine games, eight of which were starts, the young floor general upped his numbers to 14.9 points, 3.6 boards and 1.4 dimes per game on 50.9 percent shooting overall. In that span, he attempted 3.8 three-pointers per contest and made exactly 50 percent of them.
His best performance came on Feb. 28, when he dropped a 22-point and four-rebound stat line on Florida State's above-average defense.
At the combine, Jackson measured in at 6-foot-4, with a 6-foot-7.5 wingspan — excellent measures for a modern-day lead guard. His mature game and solid scoring ability make him an excellent prospect to land after pick No. 30.
There is some speculation, though, that he may not fall that far. Most expected Jackson to test the pro waters at the combine, before ultimately choosing to return to Duke for his sophomore season. Considering he didn't do that, many now believe he received a first round promise from a team picking in the 20s.
But if that somehow isn't the case and he does fall into the second round, he'd be a very intriguing option for Miami.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
4. Dwayne Bacon, SG/SF, Florida State
With fewer than three weeks remaining until the draft, we only know of six players Miami has seen in person — either in South Florida or at agent-organized events elsewhere. They are Zach Collins, Ivan Rabb, Thomas Bryant, Ike Anigbogu, Jonathan Motley (each of whom we've broken down already) and Dwayne Bacon.
Of all those players, and as far as we know, only Bacon has been scouted by the Heat more than once.
The Miami Herald's Manny Navarro reported on the first session just after the college season ended:
#FSU shooting guard Dwayne Bacon (6-7, 220) said he has a scheduled workout with the #Heat next week
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) May 11, 2017
Then, on Thursday, word went around (via Draft Express) that Riley himself attended a pro day that featured the former Seminole.
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Clearly, there's some interest there. Which makes sense, after all, in two years at Florida State, the talented wing excelled, averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game on 44.9 percent shooting. His pro prospects suffer due to his inability to draw many fouls (4.2 freebies nightly in two years), his lack of a three-point shot (31.2 percent as a collegiate) and his complete lack of defense.
Regardless, Bacon's a bucket-getter who can score in a multitude of ways. When he gets the slightest step on a defender, his size (6-foot-5, 6-foot-10 wingspan and 200+ pounds) helps him get to the rim with ease. He also has a fantastic pull-up midrange game when opponents try to shuttle him away from the lane.
Miami's bench was an important part of their second-half success this season. Adding a scorer like Bacon to it would only make the reserve unit more potent.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
3. Devin Robinson, SF/PF, Florida
Another compelling in-state option for the Heat is Florida's Devin Robinson. Like Bacon, he's a wing, though he's a level up on the positional scale. (Robinson's more of a 3/4, while the former Seminole is between the 2 and the 3.)
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The Gator may not be as talented of a scorer as Bacon, but his NBA outlook may actually be better because he's a far superior defender. Robinson has the potential to become an elite 3-and-D role player, with the size to play small-ball power forward when his future team wants to go with quicker lineups.
At the combine, he measured in at 6-foot-8 with a near-7-foot-1 wingspan. That superb size and length help him ably defend positions 2-4. What's more, his offensive game, which used to be a major weakness, greatly improved in his junior year of college. For the season, Robinson averaged 11.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while hitting 39.1 percent of his 3.1 nightly three-point attempts — the best mark of his career.
Still, in his entire three seasons at Florida, he attempted fewer than 300 shots from beyond the arc. We don't have a great gauge just yet of whether his one successful campaign stroking the long ball will translate to the next level. It is worth noting, though, that he has looked comfortable from NBA range at pre-draft workouts.
Excerpt from our Devin Robinson (@drobbb3) workout video with Seth Cooper (@coopshype) in Chicago. Full video here: https://t.co/XVDfoNbxFK pic.twitter.com/3o7c4kfNq9
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 20, 2017
If his shooting is sustainable, and you couple it with his freakish athleticism, as exemplified here…
…you have the makings of a tough-nosed wing who would assimilate wonderfully within the Heat's culture, and who'd be a steal in the second round.
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2. Semi Ojeleye, SF, SMU
With the state the NBA is presently in (abandoning low-post play and putting less of an emphasis on outdated positional labels), it's only logical that today's elite teams have multiple 3-and-D guys on their rosters. That's what makes a prospect like Semi Ojeleye so enticing.
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The wing out of SMU is an absolute load, who measured in at 6-foot-7 at the combine, while weighing 241 pounds. His thick frame makes him a handful on both ends, but especially defensively. Ojeleye is a tough competitor, who had no problem guarding opposing wings, or backing down 4s during his time in college.
His offensive game, after a transfer from Duke to the Mustang program in 2015, exploded this past season as well. As a junior, Ojeleye averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 42.4 percent from three.
He attempted 172 three-pointers in total, so the sample size should be a pretty good predictor for his potential as a shooter at the next level.
Furthermore, Ojeleye's great play helped guide SMU to one of their best seasons in school history. Though they wound up losing their opening game of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the stout small forward wasn't to blame, as he dropped 24 points and 10 rebounds in the contest.
The Ringer's pro comparison for Ojeleye is Jae Crowder, while Draft Express projects him to go 37th overall. If he falls that far, I have a feeling he's a player we'll look back on in three years and wonder how he wasn't a first round pick.
His defensive capabilities and better-than-anticipated scoring touch will definitely pique Miami's interest come draft night.
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
1. Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon
Like Ojeleye, Oregon's Jordan Bell also saw his stock skyrocket this past season. It took him until his junior year to really become a force for the Ducks, but once he did adapt to the college game, he was dominant. As a third-year player, Bell averaged 10.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game.
He, like a few of the other guys we've talked about, also used a late-season run of outstanding form to help his NBA outlook. In his last eight games, all postseason action, Bell upped his averages to 11.4 points, 12.1 boards and 2.9 rejections a night.
Specifically, against Kansas' athletic frontcourt in the Elite Eight, Bell shined as the best player on the floor. He dropped an 11-point, 13-rebound, four-assist stat line, swatting away eight shots in the process.
Just a month later at the NBA Draft Combine, Bell had a historically great showing. Although his measurements (6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-11.75 wingspan) were just all right, what he did in the shuttle run was spectacular.
Jordan Bell's 2.56 shuttle run time is the fastest in NBA Combine history. Amazing for a big man. Full DX profile: https://t.co/C3gkmVtEi5
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 12, 2017
Currently, Draft Express has him as the No. 33 overall pick in their 2017 mock-up. It's possible his combine performance may have locked him up a spot in the first round.
But if it didn't, and his name is still waiting to be called once the second round begins, the Heat would be prudent to try and acquire a pick to draft him. He has the makings of an absolutely special defender, with a fast-improving offensive skill-set to boot.
Think of Bell as an uber-athletic version of Udonis Haslem…yeah, now you're starting to understand why I'd love to see him in a Heat jersey come next season.
