With the NBA Draft less than a week away, the Miami Heat is still holding on to the 20th pick in the first round.
The Miami Herald’s three-part NBA Draft preview concludes with a look at the big men who are expected to be selected in the Heat’s range.
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The big candidates include Saint Joseph’s Rasheer Fleming, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles, Georgia’s Asa Newell, Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud, Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber, Michigan’s Danny Wolf and international prospects Joan Beringer and Noa Essengue.
Khaman Maluach and Derik Queen are widely considered the best big men 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.
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.
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
Fleming’s frame is impressive, standing 6-foot-8 and 232 pounds with an incredible 7-5 wingspan. He’s also athletic and can serve as a lob threat who’s an above average finisher around the rim while also keeping defenses honest from three-point range. Fleming, 21, averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 53.1% from the field and 39% on 4.5 three-point attempts per game as a junior last season. While Fleming is more of a play finisher than a play creator, his size and athleticism make him an intriguing prospect, especially in the back half of the first round.
Kalkbrenner is one of the top rim protectors in this year’s draft class. He comes in at 7-1 and 257 pounds with a 7-6 wingspan, averaging more than two blocks per game in four of his five college seasons to win the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award four times. Kalkbrenner averaged 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 65.3% from the field and 34.4% on 1.7 three-point attempts per game as a fifth-year senior last season. But the concern is that Kalkbrenner will struggle to defend in space and won’t be able to space the floor on the offensive end in the NBA. Developing a somewhat dependable three-point shot would help Kalkbrenner at the next level.
At 6-6 and 239 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan, the 20-year-old Murray-Boyles will likely be drafted in the first round because of his defensive potential as a switchable and versatile weapon on that end of the court. He averaged 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game as a sophomore at South Carolina last season. But Murray-Boyles’ offensive game needs some work, as he made just nine of his 34 three-point attempts last season. He also doesn’t project as a ball-handler or shot creator. But Murray-Boyles’ defensive upside makes him a first-round prospect.
Newell is a 19-year-old who measured in at 6-9 and 224 pounds and has standout athleticism. He averaged 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, one steal and one block per game while shooting 54.3% from this field in his lone college season last season. Defense could be Newell’s biggest NBA strength, as he projects as a switchable defender at the next level. But what is Newell’s position? Does he play too big to be a forward and is he too small to play as a center? Also, how concerning is it that Newell shot just 29.2% on 2.7 three-point attempts per game at Georgia last season? Newell has some questions he needs to find answers to on the court.
Raynaud was born and raised in France before moving to the United State to major in mathematics at Stanford in hopes of beginning a career in astrophysics. But instead, it appears the skilled 22-year-old 7-footer will be drafted into the NBA this summer after averaging 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field and 34.7% on 5.5 three-point attempts per game as a senior at Stanford last season. Raynaud is a fluid ball-handler for his size, allowing him to put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. But Raynaud’s outside shooting as a 7-footer is what will catch NBA teams’ attention. However, foot speed is not one of Raynaud’s strengths, and that has raised questions about what he will look like on defense at the next level.
Sorber stands 6-9 and 263 pounds with a massive 7-6 wingspan. That combination of size, length and strength is one that will intrigue most NBA teams. Sorber, 19, averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and two blocks per game while shooting 53.2% from the field in 24 games as a freshman last season before a late-season foot injury required surgery. Sorber is a quality finisher around the rim, a skilled passer for his size and has the upside to be a solid defender at the NBA level. But Sorber is not a threat from three-point range, going just 6 of 37 (16.2%) from behind the arc in his lone college season. The potential is certainly there, though, for Sorber to become an NBA contributor even as a somewhat undersized center.
Wolf, 21, spent the first two seasons of his college career at Yale before spending his junior season at Michigan. Ultra-skilled for his size at 6-10 and 252 pounds, Wolf averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.7% from the field and 33.6% on threes last season. Wolf’s offensive game can help an NBA team in this five-out era, but there are questions about how he will fit into NBA defensive schemes. Wolf also ran into some turnover issues last season at Michigan that he will need to clean up.
Beringer, 18, has been rising up draft boards in recent months after earning significant minutes with KK Cedevita Olimpija’s senior team last season. Beringer, who grew up in France, is an athletic 6-10 and 252-pound prospect who’s projected to be a rim-running big while also having the upside to become an excellent rebounder and quality rim protector. Beringer is seen as more of a project at this stage, but he has the potential to become a solid rotational big man in the NBA.
Essengue is an 18-year-old French prospect who spent last season as a rotation player for Ulm in the top German league, averaging 11.1 points, five rebounds, 1.2 assists and one steal per game while shooting 51.1% from the field and 25% on 2.2 three-point attempts per game. But there are questions about which position the 6-foot-9 Essengue will play in the NBA and whether his offensive game is ready for the next level. Like Beringer, Essengue is a project who will likely need some time to develop before becoming a significant contributor in the NBA.
WHAT ARE OTHERS SAYING?
ESPN’s latest mock draft has Murray-Boyles (15th to Oklahoma City Thunder), Newell (18th to Washington Wizards), Sorber (17th to Minnesota Timberwolves), Beringer (14th to San Antonio Spurs) and Essengue (ninth to Toronto Raptors) being selected before the Heat’s pick at No. 20.
The Ringer’s latest mock draft has Wolf (11th to Portland Trail Blazers), Sorber (15th to Thunder) and Murray-Boyles (19th to Brooklyn Nets) being picked ahead of the Heat’s selection.
The Athletic’s latest mock draft has Murray-Boyles (10th to Houston Rockets), Sorber (13th to Atlanta Hawks), Essengue (14th to Spurs) and Wolf (15th to Thunder) being taken before the Heat’s pick.