5 point guards the Miami Heat could target in the 2017 NBA Draft

Here’s an early look at the point guard position in the 2017 NBA Draft, and who the Miami Heat could target.

Dec 11, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) calls a play against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Nevada defeated Washington, 87-85. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

A couple of weeks ago, we gave you guys a broad overview of the 2017 NBA Draft. We mentioned team needs, and players at different positions that the Miami Heat could be interested in come June.

Today, we take a more in-depth look at the point guards specifically. It remains the deepest position in the upcoming draft, with the most up-to-date DraftExpress mock-up still having six of them taken in the first 14 picks.

At the time I’m writing this, Miami is 8-17, with a game against the Indiana Pacers pending. Tankathon currently gives the Heat a 44 percent chance to land the 6th overall pick in the lottery. They have a 33 percent chance of landing the 7th pick. And a 5.3 percent chance of landing the number one overall pick.

Though Miami is playing better basketball, coming off a win against the Washington Wizards in which Goran Dragic scored 34 points, they’re still missing key players. As nice as it would be to turn this season around, tanking remains the Heat’s best shot to compete at an elite level in the future.

So let’s dive right into it and talk some point guards.

Markelle Fultz

Nov 30, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) reacts after being fouled against the TCU Horned Frogs during a game at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. TCU won 86-71. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Nine games into his freshman season, Markelle Fultz is still projected to go first overall. We discussed him in our original post, so this is more of a check-in on how he, and his Washington Huskies, have done so far.

Fultz’s numbers remain through the roof. He’s scoring 23 points per game, while bringing down seven rebounds, and dishing out six assists. For good measure, the point guard is also averaging over a block and a steal.

Most notably, Fultz has stayed consistently efficient in his scoring, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 49 percent from three. He has shot poorly from the free-throw line though, making just 67 percent of his attempts (he would fit right in with this Heat team).

Washington’s freshman point guard is an elite talent. He’s long (6-foot-9 wingspan), he’s athletic, and he’s crafty, as a passer and as a scorer. However, his brilliance is marred by one thing. His Huskies are 4-5, and ranked the 97th overall team on KenPom.

Shouldn’t a player of Fultz’s caliber have his team performing at better than a sub-.500 level? Ultimately, does it matter?

Probably not. For comparison’s sake, last season, Ben Simmons’ LSU Tigers were a major disappointment. They lost four of their first eight games, and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. And yet the Philadelphia 76ers still took him first overall without giving it a second thought.

When a top-level prospect can do things like this, NBA execs can easily choose to ignore how the prospect’s team did overall. And if the Heat luck into the top pick, Pat Riley won’t care about how Washington’s season went.

Dennis Smith

Nov 29, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Dennis Smith Jr. (4) brings the ball up the court during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Illinois beat North Carolina State 88 to 74. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Smith is a guy we didn’t get to cover in our first NBA Draft post. He’s a freshman that plays for the 7-2 NC State Wolfpack, and was the seventh overall prospect coming out of high school.

Despite his limited height and length (he’s 6-foot-2 with a 6-foot-3 wingspan), Smith is a high-flyer who can throw it down on you:

Smith’s game can best be described as that of a combo guard. Though he is a solid distributor who is averaging five assists per game, the young Wolfpack player is still more of a score-first guy. And that’s fine, considering that today’s NBA is dominated by that type of “point guard.”

The freshman leads his team in scoring at 18 points per game, though he struggles with his efficiency. His field goal percentage is low–sitting at 40 percent for the year thus far.

His three-point shooting is also a big question mark. Though he attempts four of them per game, he’s been ice cold from deep, shooting 26 percent from three through nine games.

Smith has another red flag too. He missed his entire senior year of high school due to a torn ACL that he suffered during the Adidas Nationals semi-finals. Thankfully, it seems that the injury hasn’t taken away any of his elite athleticism:

But still, it’s fair to question: how will a player who’s already limited by smallish size and mediocre length respond to further knee damage? If Smith loses just a step athletically, his lack of three-point shooting and size could be his downfall in the NBA.

Further, Miami already has two players similar to Smith in Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson. Neither are as talented as the freshman star, but both are young and fill the same “combo guard” role for the Heat. Could Riley be better served looking at more of a pure point guard instead?

Regardless, Smith can fill up the scoring column, is a great mid-range player, and is a good enough distributor to run the point at the next level. The Heat would be elated to land him.

Lonzo Ball

Dec 3, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) dribbles the ball against Kentucky Wildcats guard De

We talked about Lonzo Ball in our first post, but since then, the UCLA stud faced a big challenge. A road game at Rupp Arena, against the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats. If you follow any kind of basketball, you know that Kentucky is usually littered with future NBA players. And this year is no different.

So this game would be a great barometer to see how far along Ball is as a prospect. The game also featured two Kentucky players who can play point guard at the next level in Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox. Meaning that Ball’s defense would also be tested.

How did he do? You can see for yourself:

Alright, starting the video off on that play was probably mean of me. But it was that kind of game for Ball, who struggled mightily on both ends. Although he finished with a respectable 14 points and seven assists, he was inefficient overall. He shot 42 percent for the game, and went 2-for-8 from three. He also had six turnovers.

Defensively, he allowed Fox (who is projected to be a top-10 pick in his own right) to post one of his better stat-lines of the year. The Kentucky guard finished with 20 points and nine assists, to just two turnovers.

However, UCLA still won the game, handing Kentucky their first loss of the year in the process. Meaning Ball’s performance wasn’t “bad” enough to cost them what was a huge win.

He also bounced back nicely in his next game. UCLA played a pesky Michigan team a week later, and Ball finished with 19 points on just eight shot attempts to go with seven assists and four threes.

Ball is still making a very healthy 45 percent of his three-point attempts on the year, despite all the questions about his shooting form. He’s described as, “Stephen Curry with a 40-inch vertical,” on YouTube. Though that sounds ridiculous, he is the same guy that did this to start the year. And now he’s doing this:

How does, “Don’t Win At All For Lonzo Ball,” sound? Let’s get that on a t-shirt, Heat nation.

Malik Monk

Dec 7, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) makes a lay up against Valparaiso Crusaders guard Micah Bradford (1) and guard Lexus Williams (15) and center Derrik Smits (21) in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Valparaiso 87-63. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Monk is another very interesting player. He’s also a freshman, and currently plays shooting guard for Kentucky. He’s averaging 19 points on 48 percent shooting, to go with three rebounds and a steal per game.

Despite that, there are many who think that his best chance at the next level is as a point guard. He’s got solid size for the position, measuring in at 6-foot-3, with a 6-foot-6 wingspan. Monk is similar to Smith in that he’s one of the most explosive players in the country. Observe:

He’s an avid dunker, and is great at using his speed and quickness to run the floor in transition. Monk often finds himself finishing alley-oop attempts, which is just so fun to see out of your point guard.

Though the mid-range game is his forte in the half-court, Monk has proven to be an adept three-point shooter (thus far, at least). He’s currently making three of them per game, and shooting it at a respectable 39 percent clip from deep.

The one setback with Monk is that whoever drafts him will need to unlock his point guard abilities. He doesn’t have the size to play shooting guard full-time at the professional level. Especially not early on in his career. That means that the Kentucky star needs to perfect his loose ball-handle, and become less of a selfish passer. From DraftExpress:

So far he’s only averaging two assists per contest, so his distribution remains a work in progress.

But even with these slight flaws, Monk is a top prospect who’s projected to go fifth overall as of right now. He does need to work on his passing, but at least he’s shown he has the ability to make these types of plays:

This crop of potential future NBA point guards is just absurd.

De’Aaron Fox

Nov 13, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De

Fox is the fifth freshman point guard on our list. As previously mentioned, he was the star of the hyped-up match-up between UCLA and Kentucky, even though his team lost. After Ball, he’s considered the second best “true” point guard available in the draft.

On the year, Fox is averaging 15 points on 44 percent shooting, while securing five rebounds and handing out seven assists per game. He’s got elite quickness and acceleration, which are two vitally important attributes for a potential NBA point guard. He’s also a very willing passer, which works perfectly for his team, considering the talent he’s playing with at Kentucky.

In just his seventh career game, Fox recorded a triple-double against Arizona State, dropping a 14 point, 11 rebound, 10 assist stat-line. Recording a triple-double is harder to do in college than in the NBA due to the caliber of players you’re playing with, and the limited number of possessions. That’s to say, it was an impressive feat by the Kentucky point guard.

There are a couple of aspects of Fox’s game that are worrisome though. Through ten games, he’s been a terrible three-point shooter. He’s making them at a 14 percent rate, despite hoisting two per game. That has earned him the Rajon Rondo comparison. Two Kentucky guys who are quick, like to pass, but can’t shoot? It fits.

Further, he’s got a very thin frame, despite his solid 6-foot-3 height and 6-foot-6 wingspan. He does not do a good job of taking contact, and struggles to finish around the rim through defenders. With certain guys, you can project that they’ll just get stronger in the NBA. But Fox’s frame is so slight that he may struggle to put on weight.

Nonetheless, he’s quick, can at least get to the rim in the half-court, and has great vision. If he can become at-worst an adequate shooter, he has a chance to become a great NBA point guard.

Also, Miami wouldn’t have to trade Goran Dragic if they bring in the Kentucky freshman. While it wouldn’t make sense to keep Dragic if the Heat could land a ball-dominant player like Ball, Fultz, or Smith, Fox’s lack of bulk might make it best for him to come off the bench in his first couple of seasons.

Plus, he’s a lefty, and who’s a better lefty point guard to learn under than Dragic? No one, that’s who.

Well, that’s all for today, Heat fans. Join us next time for a closer look at the power forward position, and who Miami’s staff could target in the first round (here’s a hint).

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