At shooting guard, Heat now suddenly shallow

MIAMI — (Second in a fivepart positional series in advance of the June 20 NBA draft)

The glut is gone. And the need is back.

While augmenting at shooting guard had been considered a luxury for the Miami Heat in recent years, it practically stands as a necessity at the moment, as considerations are made by Pat Riley and his staff for the No. 13 selection in Thursday’s NBA draft and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Gone are Dwyane Wade, Tyler Johnson, Rodney McGruder and Wayne Ellington, Wade to retirement, the other three as last season’s haste to escape the luxury tax.

At the moment, that leaves Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson and question marks.

Yet while shooting is a concern, so is the lack of attackmode options off the dribble, which stands as perhaps the most glaring void in the wake of Wade’s exit.

And that could have the Heat, regardless of position, prioritizing shot creation in the draft.

“The ability to create your own, that’s what this league is about,” an Eastern Conference scout offered in relation to what the draft could present. “The ability to get your own shot is

like the single most vital offensive quality in twos. As you saw in the playoffs, you need that guy.

“Is that slashing? That’s more shot creation. And that is absolutely critical now. It’s nice to be a 3-and-D and all that. But if you’re a 3-and-D with shot creation at a high level, teams need that. And they need that at a high level. You cannot win without that. It’s as simple as that.”

A breakdown at shooting guard in advance of the selections at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center:

Top 5

1. R.J. Barrett, 6-7, freshman, Duke: Once heralded as the draft’s No. 1 pick, Barrett is arguably the most complete player in the 2019 draft. He scores confidently at all three levels of the floor, can generate offense with precision passing off pick-and-rolls and has elite athleticism.

2. Jarrett Culver, 6-5, sophomore, Texas Tech: The combo wing may be the best two-way prospect in the draft outside of Zion Williamson with his ability to generate immediate offense

in isolation/pick-androll and the defensive prowess to cover point guards through small forwards. His motor is never an issue and his explosiveness was impressive in Lubbock.

3. Kevin Porter Jr., 6-6,

freshman, USC: A wildcard selection, Porter Jr. is a bona-fide scorer with offthe-court maturity issues that plagued him at USC. Porter has one of the deepest offensive bags of tricks in the draft with his ability to score off the dribble, off the catch and off pick-androlls, but his disciplinary issues again could hold him back, as they did at Southern California.

4. Tyler Herro, 6-5, freshman, Kentucky: Herro is one of the highestrated specialists in the draft with his ability to knock down 3-pointers and midrange shots at high percentages. Defensively, he struggles with quicker guards, but has shown the ability to guard slightly bigger opponents.

5. Nickeil AlexanderWalker, 6-5, sophomore, Virginia Tech: An impressive defender with a consistent 3-point shot who more than likely projects as a 3-and-D at the next level. He’ll need to become a better shooter off the dribble as a two-guard and reduce his turnovers.

Sleeper

Luguentz Dort, 6-4, freshman, Arizona State: An extremely athletic shooting guard who always seems to be playing downhill in the halfcourt.

If he can improve his shot mechanics and develop a more consistent 3-pointer, his upside should translate into a value selection.

Rating the field

Similar to the 2019 class at point guard, the payoff at shooting guard in this draft class significantly drops off after the top two prospects in Barrett and Culver. There’s a fair amount of athletic shooting guards in the group, but not many pure shooters.

Heat need

This becomes a factor of the long game with Dion Waiters and whether Josh Richardson ultimately settles in as a two. But it’s not as if Justise Winslow fills the mandate of the modern shooting guard, or even Derrick Jones Jr. It’s as if the Heat have gone from feast to famine.