Is Devin Booker the right fit for the Heat in the draft?

More and more mock drafts seem to be pointing the Miami Heat in the direction of Kentucky's Devin Booker. But does the Wildcat really fit with what Miami hopes to get from its small forwards?

There's little doubt that Booker can fill 'em up, especially from 3-point range. In fact, he might be the best pure shooter in the entire draft. And the Heat could certainly use that kind of spacing, especially assuming they bring back Goran Dragic next season. Dragic operates best as a point guard when he has a solid pick-and-roll big man alongside him (hello, Chris Bosh) and plenty of shooters to find for open looks.

Where Booker falls short for the Heat is on the defensive end. He repeatedly got beat on college basketball's biggest stage during Kentucky's run in the NCAA Tournament, and that exposure has to be fresh in the minds of many in south Florida.

Yet despite those shortcomings, the Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman points out that a potential selection of Booker could be about the now, not the long-term:

"That's a part of the greater equation: Can the Heat find shooting elsewhere? The bottom line is they have to find it somewhere. And while getting a complete player matters, so does rounding out the roster while Dwyane Wade still is somewhat close to his prime. To draft a player who is two or three years away would mean selecting a player who would come into his prime after Wade and Bosh have passed theirs. In other words, Booker could wind up being more of a player of the moment than other better-rounded options for the Heat at No. 10."

It's not exactly like Pat Riley & Co. to think short-term, but the selection of Booker could help show Wade that the team is ready to get back to its winning ways as soon as possible, rather than developing a player for down the road. And that could be the most valuable skill a draft prospect brings to Miami.

(h/t Sun-Sentinel)

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