Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Do the Heat have shot at point guard?
MIAMI – (First in a fivepart positional series in advance of the June 20 NBA draft)
There was a time when being a point guard primarily meant being a playmaker.
That allowed Magic Johnson to develop into a shooter, afforded Rajon Rondo the opportunity to thrive without much in the way of an outside game, had the Philadelphia 76ers taking Ben Simmons with the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NBA draft and the Los Angeles Lakers going with Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick in 2017.
That was then.
Now, lacking a point guard with an outside threat, it’s as if you don’t have a shot.
That not only has NBA teams prioritizing shooting when evaluating the class of point guards in the June 20 draft, but also could give the Heat second thought about Justise Winslow as their point guard of the future, even with last season’s upgrade with his outside shot.
“It has happened reasonably quick,” an Eastern Conference scout said of the shooting mandate at point guard. “I think people realized Ball might be terrific, Simmons is terrific — to a point. But unless you can shoot, it’s the spacing that you’re losing.”
It is the type of spacing that Goran Dragic has provided for the Heat since his 2015 arrival from the Phoenix Suns, but something that has not been nearly as consistent from Winslow since his arrival at No. 10 in the 2015 draft.
“The non-shooting point guard has become somewhat of an anachronism I would say,” the scout said. “I mean you’re going against the grain. Why? The three is so important. I think that’s the big part.
“As for going with a defensive point guard, you can’t guard anybody because of the rules. It’s especially true at the point guard position.”
A breakdown at point guard in advance of the selections at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center:
Top 5
1. Ja Morant, 6-3, sophomore, Murray State: An uber-athletic point guard whose crisp passes, tight handle and improved outside shot should have him taken as the first playmaker off the board. Morant is a highlight reel waiting to happen.
2. Darius Garland, 6-2, freshman, Vanderbilt: An impressive score-first point guard with a knockdown pull-up jumper and above-average ballhandling. A knee injury cost him most of his only season at Vanderbilt, creating more intrigue about the unknown.
3. Coby White, 6-5, freshman, North Carolina: An extremely highenergy point guard who is difficult to stop once he gets going downhill. His passing and playmaking improved over the course of his only season with the Tar Heels, but he will need to work on his on-ball defense at the next level.
4. Tremont Waters, 5-11, sophomore, LSU: A dynamic, undersized point guard whose shooting-range starts as soon as he crosses halfcourt and whose steal rate was one of the best in college basketball. Once teams look past his size, there’s real NBA talent to be had.
5. Carsen Edwards, 6-1, junior, Purdue: Edwards’ NCAA Tournament run of four games of 26 or more points and two games of 40 or more points set his NBA stock higher than it had previously been. The Purdue playmaker’s defense is far from elite and he’ll have to develop more consistency on his pull-up jumper.
Sleeper
Jared Harper, 5-11, junior, Auburn: Shooters shoot, and that’s exactly what Harper did at Auburn. Along with Waters, Harper had one of the deepest ranges in college basketball last season and seemingly couldn’t miss for stretches at a time. He’ll need to develop his on-ball defense, but his offense is NBA-ready.
Rating the field
There is a distinct drop in talent after the consensus top three point guards in Morant, Garland and White. This draft mostly features a gamut of scorefirst point guards. It is possible as few as three point guards go in the first round.
Heat need
The Heat’s need mostly will come down to what happens next with Goran Dragic now that he is trade eligible following his opt in. Yet while there is plenty of ballhandling on the roster with Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, James Johnson and Josh Richardson, there isn’t necessarily a true option at point guard beyond Dragic.