The potential draft strategy for the Miami Heat is starting to take shape ahead of the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
“Rival teams expect the Heat to take a swing on a promising young guard, with Rob Dillingham, Isaiah Collier, Jared McCain and [Carlton] Carrington being among those mentioned most frequently,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote.
Adding a young guard with upside could be a solid move for the Heat as they look to build their roster around Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro.
Miami acquired guard Terry Rozier ahead of the trade deadline in the 2023-24 season, but a neck injury knocked Rozier out of the lineup in the playoffs. If there is a concern about his health going forward, a player like Collier, Dillingham, Carrington or McCain could make a ton of sense.
The Heat hold the No. 15 pick in the first round of the draft, so it’s possible that not all of these players are available by the time their selection rolls around. Still, each prospect could bring something to Miami’s roster, especially on the offensive end.
Dillingham, who played one season at the University of Kentucky, may be the best scorer out of this group of four players. He averaged 15.2 points per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc in his lone season with the Wildcats.
His play earned him an All-SEC selection, and he was named the SEC Sixth Man of the Year.
Collier also scored the ball at a high rate during his freshman season at the University of Southern California, averaging 16.3 points per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from 3-point range. He wasn’t as efficient as Dillingham, but the Trojans were a much worse team than Kentucky, which forced Collier into a bigger role.
Both Dillingham and Collier played on the ball a lot in college, but McCain, who played at Duke University, spent some time off the ball since the Blue Devils had a veteran point guard in Jeremy Roach last season.
McCain is another solid shooter (41.4 percent from 3 in the 2023-24 season), and he averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for Duke.
Lastly, there is Carrington, who put up 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for the University of Pittsburgh in the 2023-24 season. He only shot 32.2 percent from 3-point range, but it’s possible he could improve upon that number with more work on his shot at the NBA level.
The Heat have been looking for guard help since losing Gabe Vincent in free agency ahead of the 2023-24 season, so adding a player in the draft makes a ton of sense.