NBA Rumors: Miami Heat To Target Devin Booker With No. 10 Pick?
NBA Rumors: Will the Miami Heat target Kentucky shooting specialist Devin Booker with the No. 10 pick of the 2015 NBA Draft?
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After a disappointing overall season, the only thing the Miami Heat have to show for it is the 10th pick in the NBA draft. And with not another draft pick until possibly 2018, the Heat don’t have much margin for error with this selection.
In other words, Pat Riley better make sure this one counts. And is at least a solid hit. For starters, the Heat could probably use another wing and perhaps one that can shoot. Luol Deng, who might even opt out this offseason for one more chance at a multi-year contract, is more of a slasher and defensive presence than he is a three-point shooting threat.
And if he does leave, without much of a free agent small forward market this summer, it could leave the Heat with a huge hole in their starting unit. Which is why many believe they’ll target a wing player in the upcoming draft.
While the likes of Stanley Johnson and Kelly Oubre have been brought up when talking about who the Heat would take at 10, there’s also an interesting wing out of Kentucky that could catch the eye of Riley and the Heat in the weeks leading up to the draft — Devin Booker.
If the Heat want outside shooting, they should look no further than the shooting specialist from Kentucky. He would be the obvious choice.
"[via Sun-Sentinel, H/T Hoops Rumors]With the Heat‘s need to add an outside shooter in this year’s NBA Draft, Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker certainly fits the bill, and could be available when the team selects at No. 10 overall.Team president Pat Riley is also looking to emulate the versatility of the Warriors’ backcourt.“If you watch Golden State,” Riley said, “they don’t have a plethora of 3-point shooters beyond Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, they’re everything. They’re the most complete backcourt in the league. Not only are they the ballhandlers, catch-and-shoot players, the playmakers, but they’re both the main long-distance weapon for that team.”"
If Riley wants to begin to blueprint the Heat around what the Warriors are doing, there are plenty of changes that are coming over the next few months for the Heat. Though, drafting Booker would ideally be the first step in making that decision.
The Heat were the seventh worst three-point shooting team in the NBA this past season, shot only 33.5 percent from beyond the arc and hit an average of only 6.8 per game.
Shooting is definitely a necessity for this team. Though, the danger with drafting any great shooter from college is determining whether or not they are more than just that one trick pony.
Any player can shoot — and shoot the lights out even. The trick is to find the Klay Thompson’s and Stephen Curry’s of the world from the collegiate ranks. The shooters that have more in their arsenal than just great touch.
That’s what Riley and the Heat are up against before deciding whether Booker is the man. For now though, he seems like one of the top options. And from all indications, he’ll definitely be available when the Heat go on the clock next month.
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