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(Mandatory Credit: Ed Zurga\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n(Mandatory Credit: Ed Zurga\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Every season, in the months, weeks, days and even hours leading up to the draft, you\u2019ll see a flurry of big boards of many evaluators pinpointing where they\u2019d rank each prospect. For me, this is my second year doing a big board; it\u2019s far from complete, but you can check that out here<\/a>!<\/p>\n However, what most ignore is team context. They do it in a vacuum on what they would do if everything were equal, not what they would do for each team given several variables. <\/p>\n Thus, I am launching my own Miami Heat-specific big board for the first time ever, ranking 60 prospects who still have their name in the draft at the time of publication! Early entrants have until May 27 to withdraw.<\/p>\n This was given plenty of thought and may mirror my actual big board, to a certain extent. This is a rough draft (hence the 1.0 title) of what it will look like on draft night, but I organized them into multiple tiers. There are myriad players where I shifted them between multiple tiers, especially in the top-20\/25, where the talent pool is quite deep relative to most draft classes.<\/p>\n Without further ado, let\u2019s dive into it!<\/p>\n \u201cNot happening, but these players would completely alter the franchise\u2019s trajectory\u201d tier:<\/p>\n 1. AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU<\/p>\n 2. Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas<\/p>\n 3. Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina<\/p>\n 4. Darius Acuff Jr, G, Arkansas<\/p>\n 5. Cameron Boozer, F, Duke<\/p>\n My Miami Heat top-5 hasn\u2019t changed since the lottery results were revealed. For more on why I have each player where they are, click here!<\/a><\/p>\n The \u201cPinch me, I\u2019m dreaming!\u201d guard tier:<\/p>\n 6. Kingston Flemings, G, Houston<\/p>\n 7. Brayden Burries, G, Arizona<\/p>\n 8. Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville<\/p>\n 9. Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois<\/p>\n This is a historically good point guard class. And outside of Acuff, who separated himself as the best point guard in the draft during the season, these four are the next-best options. <\/p>\n I don\u2019t see Wagler falling outside of the top-5 or 6, but his lack of sheer burst and loose ballhandling has me slightly concerned, from a Heat perspective, but not enough for him to fall out of my top-9 due to his incredible IQ, feel and 3-point shooting.<\/p>\n My favorite realistic targets at 13 tier:<\/p>\n 10. Cameron Carr, G\/F, Baylor<\/p>\n 11. Labaron Philon, G, Alabama<\/p>\n 12. Tounde Yessoufou, G\/F, Baylor<\/p>\n 13. Morez Johnson Jr., F\/C, Michigan<\/p>\n 14. Chris Cenac, F, Houston<\/p>\n 15. Amari Allen, F, Alabama<\/p>\n Carr has long been one of my favorites, given his size (6-foot-5, 7\u20190.75\u201d wingspan), athleticism (38.0-inch standing vert, 42.5-inch max vert) and 3-point shooting chops. He\u2019ll have to continue to bulk up (184.4 pounds) and improve his ballhandling in tight spaces. But I\u2019d have full faith and confidence he\u2019ll continue to grow in every way with Miami, hypothetically.<\/p>\n Philon has the potential to crack the tier above him long-term, too. He led the SEC in scoring, has incredibly dynamic ball handling and close-quarters navigation and was quite good defensively, despite being undersized. He\u2019d be a slam-dunk lead guard to nab at 13.<\/p>\n As it pertains to 12-15, I\u2019m higher on them than the consensus by a fair margin. Each of those four players plays both ends with high motors, good positional size, athleticism and versatile\/translatable skillsets.\u00a0<\/p>\n The complete wildcard tier:<\/p>\n 16. Jayden Quaintance, C, Kentucky<\/p>\n Elite defensive tape; outstanding measurables and athleticism; supremely versatile (on defense), coordinated, and disruptive. But very questionable health that bears a lot of attention.<\/p>\n That\u2019s Jayden Quaintance. The 18-year-old played 24 games as a freshman at Arizona State before suffering a torn ACL and meniscus, and was shut down after just four games this year at Kentucky after his knee flared up. The tape is beyond tantalizing; the thought of him and Adebayo tag-teaming defensively is terrifying. <\/p>\n Though the injury history is beyond worrisome. We aren\u2019t privy to the medicals, but the tape is so damn intriguing that drafting him at 13 is a pure upside swing.<\/p>\n The double fudge tier:<\/p>\n 17. Aday Mara, C, Michigan<\/p>\n 18. Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan<\/p>\n 19. Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford<\/p>\n 20. Hannes Steinbach, C, Washington<\/p>\n I love chocolate. I love fudge. At times, my sweet tooth is overly demanding. But double the fudge is a little too rich for me, hence the name of this tier.<\/p>\n Each of these four names is intriguing in its own way. Mara is a mountain with mobility and fun passing chops; Lendeborg is a do-it-all big wing who has only been playing basketball for 6-7 years; Okorie is a small, albeit lanky guard who\u2019s quicker than a hiccup; Steinbach is a phenomenal offensive rebounder and shot-blocker with good low-post footwork and touch.<\/p>\n But at 13, they\u2019re a little too rich for me. At the end of the day, I\u2019d trust the Heat\u2019s developmental process. But I wouldn\u2019t take these guys at 13.<\/p>\n The \u201cTrade back candidates\u201d tier:<\/p>\n 21. Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech<\/p>\n 22. Flory Bidunga, C, Kansas<\/p>\n 23. Billy Richmond III, G, Arkansas<\/p>\n 24. Karim Lopez, F, New Zealand<\/p>\n 25. Nate Ament, F, Tennessee<\/p>\n If the Heat traded back toward the end of the teens \u2014 or even 20s \u2014 these would be my foremost targets if any of the other aforementioned names aren\u2019t there. I\u2019m much higher on Richmond \u2014 he\u2019s only a jumper and a consistent half-court handle away, truthfully \u2014 and, conversely, much lower on Lopez and Ament than the consensus. The Heat don\u2019t typically trade back, so I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s much of a possibility anyway. <\/p>\n Favorite potential second-round targets tier:<\/p>\n 26. Zuby Ejiofor, C, St. John\u2019s<\/p>\n 27. Koa Peat, F, Arizona<\/p>\n 28. Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara<\/p>\n 29. Dailyn Swain, G\/F, Texas<\/p>\n 30. Isaiah Evans, G, Duke<\/p>\n 31. Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa<\/p>\n 32. Emanuel Sharpe, G\/F, Houston<\/p>\n The players I struggled with most in this tier are Peat, Graves, Swain and Stirtz. Peat can\u2019t shoot outside of 10 feet, making his fit with Miami (and most NBA teams) quite questionable, despite his athletic pop and brute strength. Graves is a cerebral player who I think should return to school for more reps and to work on his conditioning. I have serious questions regarding Swain\u2019s jumper (or lack thereof) and defense (which I\u2019m lower on) \u2014 and he\u2019s been a name that the organization has reportedly had interest in at 13. Stirtz is an exceptional shot creator, but I don\u2019t know how he\u2019d fare in an offense where ball screens are extinct.<\/p>\n Those players had to all end up somewhere. For now, this was my tier for them, evidently. I changed them around a bunch. I probably will by the next iteration (which is TBD).<\/p>\n The rest of my top-60 (likely two ways):<\/p>\n 33. Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State<\/p>\n 34. Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona<\/p>\n 35. Matt Able, G, NC State<\/p>\n 36. Luigi Suigo, C, Italy<\/p>\n 37. Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State<\/p>\n 38. Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas<\/p>\n 39. Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky<\/p>\n 40. Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina<\/p>\n 41. Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky<\/p>\n 42. Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas<\/p>\n 43. Alex Karaban, F, UConn<\/p>\n 44. Richie Saunders, G\/F, BYU (injured)<\/p>\n 45. Maliq Brown, C, Duke<\/p>\n 46. Dillon Mitchell, F, St. John\u2019s<\/p>\n 47. Ja\u2019Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee<\/p>\n 48. Tarris Reed Jr., C, UConn<\/p>\n 49. Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n 50. Braden Smith, G, Purdue<\/p>\n 51. Aaron Nkrumah, G\/F, Tennessee State<\/p>\n 52. Felix Okpara, C, Tennessee<\/p>\n 53. Milos Uzan, G, Houston<\/p>\n 54. Baba Miller, F\/C, Cincinnati<\/p>\n 55. Tobi Lawal, F, Virginia Tech<\/p>\n 56. Andrej Stojakovic, G\/F, Illinois<\/p>\n 57. Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville<\/p>\n 58. Quadir Copeland, G, NC State<\/p>\n 59. Jeremy Fears Jr., G, Michigan State<\/p>\n 60. Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State<\/p>\n What are your thoughts on my top-60? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n To check out our other content, click\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter\/X\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Check out Hot Hot Hoops on Facebook\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Subscribe to our YouTube channel\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t\t\t