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MIAMI — For years, the Miami Heat have approached the NBA draft with a veteran bent, be it Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s four seasons at UCLA, Pelle Larsson’s four combined seasons at Utah and Arizona, and Kasparas Jakucionis having played three professional seasons in Europe and one at Illinois.
This year, a veteran bent is undeniably in place, albeit perhaps not for the draft itself, with the Heat’s No. 13 pick in Tuesday’s first round a prime trade chip in the quest for 31-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Even amid the push to land the Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward, the draft scouting has been ongoing for Adam Simon, the Heat’s vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager.
And if Simon holds to recent form, expect a considerable degree of previous high-level experience should the Heat make their own call at No. 13.
In addition to the extensive experience of Jaquez, Larsson and Jakucionis when their names were called in recent drafts, even Kel’el Ware had two collegiate seasons (at Oregon and then Indiana) when he was taken in the 2024 first round and Nikola Jovic had previous European pro experience when he was taken in the 2022 first round.
So something polished for a team that refuses to step back? Or perhaps something a bit less refined, considering that failure to land Antetokounmpo could create more of a long-term reset?
“Our scouts have identified players that we think fit what we’re looking for,” Simon said. “And as we continue to build and try to find pieces, we’re going to draft the right players.
“Jaime was a four-year college player. But the last 20 years, I don’t think we have followed any certain path. I mean, it’s the job, it’s trying to identify talent and trying to identify the player you think would best fit what you’re looking for.”
Because of the predilection for experience, several older players in the draft have been linked to the Heat (if No. 13 is not traded for Antetokounmpo), including Michigan senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg, Iowa senior guard Bennett Stirtz, Texas junior forward Dailyn Swain and third-year Baylor sophomore Cameron Carr.
What Simon said he can’t do is draft with a certain Heat roster composition in mind when deciding whether to go young or experienced.
Indeed, the Heat may never have potentially been more in flux than at this moment.
“Like I always say, our rosters can change at any time,” Simon said. “And so I think what we’re trying to just do is figure out who the best player could be long-term. And there’s been guys that have been great seniors, that even drafted after four years started off slow, became great. And there’s been players that, as you see, could be really good at 19 years old.
“So I don’t really look at that. I only look at that when looking at the path of the player’s development, where they’re going, where they’ve gone. If they’re older, what have they been doing at 21, 22, 23? That’s important, what their growth is, where they’ve come from, if they’re younger, where they come from when they were 16, 17, 18.”
And yet there also is the comfort zone of something more polished.
“If they’re older,” Simon said, “you’re just getting more of a body of work and that helps you feel more comfortable with taking a player that’s a little older.”
The top of the draft could feature 10 consecutive freshmen, highlighted by initial picks AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson.
And then — failing a trade for Antetokounmpo — will come the Heat direction for the ages at No. 13.
“There’s no script for it,” Simon said of how the age factor plays into the Heat’s approach. “I think it’s we’re playing the hand we’re dealt and there’s been years where we didn’t have draft picks. We traded a bunch to put a team together in the early 2010s. And so there were years where we didn’t have picks. We went to veteran teams and that doesn’t allow for as many young players. Obviously we like the guys we’ve selected.”
Continue reading...
This year, a veteran bent is undeniably in place, albeit perhaps not for the draft itself, with the Heat’s No. 13 pick in Tuesday’s first round a prime trade chip in the quest for 31-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Even amid the push to land the Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward, the draft scouting has been ongoing for Adam Simon, the Heat’s vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager.
And if Simon holds to recent form, expect a considerable degree of previous high-level experience should the Heat make their own call at No. 13.
In addition to the extensive experience of Jaquez, Larsson and Jakucionis when their names were called in recent drafts, even Kel’el Ware had two collegiate seasons (at Oregon and then Indiana) when he was taken in the 2024 first round and Nikola Jovic had previous European pro experience when he was taken in the 2022 first round.
So something polished for a team that refuses to step back? Or perhaps something a bit less refined, considering that failure to land Antetokounmpo could create more of a long-term reset?
“Our scouts have identified players that we think fit what we’re looking for,” Simon said. “And as we continue to build and try to find pieces, we’re going to draft the right players.
“Jaime was a four-year college player. But the last 20 years, I don’t think we have followed any certain path. I mean, it’s the job, it’s trying to identify talent and trying to identify the player you think would best fit what you’re looking for.”
Because of the predilection for experience, several older players in the draft have been linked to the Heat (if No. 13 is not traded for Antetokounmpo), including Michigan senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg, Iowa senior guard Bennett Stirtz, Texas junior forward Dailyn Swain and third-year Baylor sophomore Cameron Carr.
What Simon said he can’t do is draft with a certain Heat roster composition in mind when deciding whether to go young or experienced.
Indeed, the Heat may never have potentially been more in flux than at this moment.
“Like I always say, our rosters can change at any time,” Simon said. “And so I think what we’re trying to just do is figure out who the best player could be long-term. And there’s been guys that have been great seniors, that even drafted after four years started off slow, became great. And there’s been players that, as you see, could be really good at 19 years old.
“So I don’t really look at that. I only look at that when looking at the path of the player’s development, where they’re going, where they’ve gone. If they’re older, what have they been doing at 21, 22, 23? That’s important, what their growth is, where they’ve come from, if they’re younger, where they come from when they were 16, 17, 18.”
And yet there also is the comfort zone of something more polished.
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“If they’re older,” Simon said, “you’re just getting more of a body of work and that helps you feel more comfortable with taking a player that’s a little older.”
The top of the draft could feature 10 consecutive freshmen, highlighted by initial picks AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson.
And then — failing a trade for Antetokounmpo — will come the Heat direction for the ages at No. 13.
“There’s no script for it,” Simon said of how the age factor plays into the Heat’s approach. “I think it’s we’re playing the hand we’re dealt and there’s been years where we didn’t have draft picks. We traded a bunch to put a team together in the early 2010s. And so there were years where we didn’t have picks. We went to veteran teams and that doesn’t allow for as many young players. Obviously we like the guys we’ve selected.”
Continue reading...
