Unless the Miami Heat makes a trade in the coming days, it will be adding to its young core in less than a week.
That’s because the Heat has the 20th pick in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft, which will take place Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The Miami Herald’s three-part NBA Draft preview continues with a look at the wings who are expected to be selected in the Heat’s range.
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The wing candidates include Colorado State’s Nique Clifford, Washington State’s Cedric Coward, UConn’s Liam McNeeley, North Carolina’s Drake Powell, Illinois’ Will Riley, Arkansas’ Adou Thiero and international prospects Hugo Gonzalez and Noah Penda.
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Ace Bailey and Carter Bryant are widely considered the best wings in the 2025 draft class, and they will almost definitely be selected before it’s Miami’s turn to pick if it doesn’t trade up.
The first round of the NBA Draft is Wednesday and the second round is Thursday, June 26.
The Heat currently doesn’t have a pick in the second round of this year’s draft, but NBA teams can buy and sell second-round selections.
It’s important to note that the Heat is permitted to trade the 20th pick before the upcoming draft because it also owns its pick in next year’s draft.
WHAT TO KNOW
Clifford (6-foot-5 and 202 pounds) is an older prospect who turns 24 in February and played five college seasons. But the positive is he improved dramatically as his college career went on, averaging career highs in points (18.9 per game), rebounds (9.6 per game) and assists (4.4 per game) while shooting 49.6% from the field and 37.7% from three-point range as a fifth-year senior at Colorado State last season. This comes after Clifford averaged just 5.9 points on 37.4% shooting from the field as a junior during the 2022-23 season. He has the potential to be a solid two-way wing at the NBA level, but how much upside does he have as a player who will enter the NBA at 23 years old?
Coward is an intriguing prospect who has an impressive frame at 6-5 and 213 pounds with an eye-opening 7-2 wingspan. But Coward, who turns 22 in September, didn’t get to play in many games at Washington State last season because he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in the team’s sixth game. That limited sample size of games in his senior season paired with the fact that Coward spent his first three college seasons either at Division III Williamette University or Eastern Washington has led to some questions about how he will look against high-level competition. But Coward was excellent in the six games he did play in for Washington State last season, averaging 17.7 points, seven rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 55.7% from the field and 40% on five three-point attempts per game prior to his injury. He shot an impressive 40.7% on 135 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts over his final two years in college, according to The Athletic. NBA teams are always in need of quality three-and-D players, and Coward certainly could end up fitting that mold.
McNeeley, 19, is a three-point shooter with size at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds. He averaged 14.5 points, six rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in his lone college season at UConn last season. But McNeeley also shot an inefficient 38.1% from the field and 31.7% from three-point range as a freshman last season. Despite those underwhelming marks, McNeeley’s NBA skill is believed to be his three-point shooting. The question is what else can McNeeley do well at the next level to make himself more than just a three-point specialist? His lack of elite athleticism could make it hard for him to hold up defensively at times in the NBA.
Powell is a 19-year-old with a frame that will catch most teams’ attention. He stands 6-5 and 200 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan. That size and length paired with Powell’s impressive lateral quickness is what makes him such an interesting prospect, as he was a terrific defender in his lone college season and he has tantalizing upside as a wing defender at the NBA level. But Powell’s offensive game is a work in progress, as he had the lowest usage rate among North Carolina’s nine rotation players last season. According to The Athletic, no wing has ever been drafted with a usage rate as low as Powell’s in their predraft season. He averaged 7.4 points per game in his lone college season, but did shoot 37.9% on threes and proved to be an effective cutter. Can Powell develop into a rotational three-and-D weapon in the NBA?
Riley is a lanky 19-year-old who stands 6-foot-8 and came in at just 185 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine. But Riley impressed in his lone college season, averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 43.2% from the field and 32.6% on threes to win the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year award as a freshman at Illinois last season. He’s a skilled offensive player who can score at all three levels, but will his thin frame hurt him in the NBA? Also, there are concerns about how Riley will hold up on the defensive end at the NBA level.
Thiero is one of the best athletes in this year’s draft class and comes in at 6-6 and 218 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan. That’s enough to draw interest from teams around the league, but the 21-year-old Thiero is also known for consistently playing hard and generating extra possessions by crashing the glass. Thiero is also a standout defender who can guard multiple positions and averaged 1.6 steals per game as a junior at Arkansas last season. The question is whether Thiero can improve on the offensive end, as he shot just 25.6% from three-point range last season. Thiero still averaged 15.1 points per game because he excels in transition and has a knack for drawing fouls, as he averaged 6.5 free throws per game. But Thiero must figure out his three-point shot to reach his full NBA potential.
Gonzalez, 19, is an athletic 6-foot-6 and 205-pound wing who grew up in Madrid, Spain. He spent his predraft season at Real Madrid, but didn’t get a lot of opportunities to produce. Gonzalez averaged just 3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game in 59 appearances with Real Madrid last season. Still, Gonzalez comes with some upside as a player with a high motor who thrives on the defensive end. But Gonzalez’s outside shooting is a concern. He shot just 29.3% on 1.3 three-point attempts per game in his limited playing time with Real Madrid last season. Whether Gonzalez can develop a reliable three-point shot will likely determine what type of NBA career he has.
Penda is a 20-year-old international prospect from France who built some momentum with an excellent predraft season in the top French league, getting selected for the All-Star Game and being named the MVP of the first Young Stars game in France last season. Penda stands 6-7 and 242 pounds with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. That above-average positional size paired with his potential to make an impact on both ends of the court in the NBA makes him an intriguing first-round candidate. Penda averaged 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45.2% from the field and 34.3% on threes in France last season. Like most prospects, many believe the swing skill that will determine Penda’s true NBA upside is his outside jumper. Penda made just 26.3% of his catch-and-shoot threes last season, according to Synergy.
WHAT ARE OTHERS SAYING?
ESPN’s latest mock draft has the Heat selecting McNeeley at No. 20.
“McNeeley’s size, shot-making prowess, feel for the game and toughness are critical attributes that NBA teams value at the wing position,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote as part of the mock draft that has McNeeley going to the Heat. “He needs to remind them of his winning qualities throughout the predraft process, following an inefficient season in which he converted 44% of his 2-pointers and 32% of his 3-pointers.”
The Ringer’s latest mock draft has Coward (13th to Atlanta Hawks), Clifford (16th to Orlando Magic), Powell (17th to Minnesota Timberwolves) and Penda (18th to Washington Wizards) being taken before the Heat’s pick at No. 20. The Ringer has the Heat drafting French guard Nolan Traore.
The Athletic’s latest mock draft has Clifford (17th to Timberwolves) being selected ahead of the Heat’s pick at No. 20. The Athletic has the Heat taking Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr.