Would the Heat consider drafting a smaller guard — height and/or weight — with their lottery pick? It’s not out of the question, according to the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman.
“I always remind our scouts,” Heat assistant GM Adam Simon said, “we always talk about we have our principles of what we like, what we look for. There’s things that we always try to like. Who doesn’t like length? Who doesn’t like athleticism? Who doesn’t like positional size? But, as you know, there’s heart and there’s IQ and there’s ability to outplay deficiencies that you might have based on size. And if you look in the history of the game, if you basically overlook something based on one aspect of the evaluation, that player can outplay it.”
Winderman notes that Jalen Brunson has led the Knicks to the Finals this season. Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr. (who weighs 176 pounds), Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson (180), Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. (180), Houston’s Kingston Flemings (183) and Baylor’s Cameron Carr (184) are some of the smaller guards who could go in the first round.
“There are players that aren’t athletic that make it,” Simon said. “There’s players that are in that size range that become Hall of Famers.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- On draft night two years ago, the Wizards agreed to trade Deni Avdija to the Trail Blazers for a 2024 first-round pick (which was used to select Bub Carrington), a 2029 first-round pick, second-round picks in 2028 and 2030 and veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon. Was it a mistake? It’s a complex question, considering how Avdija has blossomed in Portland. However, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic notes, trading Avdija helped position the Wizards to win high lottery picks in the 2025 and 2026 drafts.
- Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney was officially hired as the Magic’s head coach on Monday. What should Orlando fans know about him? He’s noted for his creativity, the respect that superstars have given him and that he’s been a serious candidate for numerous head coaching openings in recent years before the Magic hired him, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes.
- ICYMI, the Hawks officially confirmed that Onsi Saleh is now the team’s president of basketball operations and has signed a “long-term” contract extension.