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NBA Draft 2019: 5 targets for the Miami Heat

By Trevor Magnotti

BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 09: Romeo Langford #0 of the Indiana Hoosiers looks on during the game against the Montana State Bobcats at Assembly Hall on November 9, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers won 80-35. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 09: Romeo Langford #0 of the Indiana Hoosiers looks on during the game against the Montana State Bobcats at Assembly Hall on November 9, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers won 80-35. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers battles for the ball during the first half against the Colgate Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Grant Williams #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers battles for the ball during the first half against the Colgate Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

4. Grant Williams, PF, Tennessee

The Step Back Big Board Ranking: 11

The Heat have had immense success with Richardson, so why not go back to the Tennessee well and get another solid potential role player? Williams may not be on the board when Miami picks, but if he is, he’s a no-brainer for the Heat to supplement James Johnson at the four. One of the smartest players in the draft, Williams and Spoelstra feels like a perfect marriage of prospect and developer.

In particular, Williams’s defense would be potentially valuable to the Heat. With Adebayo as the foundation as a pick-and-roll defender, Williams’s ability to play over the top defending the dunker spot and also defend on the wing in space will give Miami the backbone of a killer switching defense. Williams also should be a pretty solid wing defender in a zone, and that could make him a valuable player when paired with Whiteside, as Williams shows good technique digging down into the paint from the corner and recovering, creating a ton of help for the Heat’s pet rim protector. The Heat were already the sixth best team in the league in defensive efficiency, and Williams could help them get even better on that end.

Offensively, there’s room for improvement for Williams, especially as a shooter, where his fit with the rest of the core isn’t ideal. He offers a ton of ball movement value, but if he doesn’t become at least a consistent 35 percent 3-point shooter at the NBA level, shooting will be at a premium throughout the rest of the roster. But the backbone of the fit is defense, and Williams would be an ideal culture fit on that end.

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