After spending the initial weeks of draft preparations looking at prospects that could fall into the
second-round, Pat Riley and his staff of scouts and executives shifted focus this week to hone in on first-round talent.
The Heat reconvened draft workouts this week at AmericanAirlines Arena, with a session Tuesday that included guards Jermaine Beal (Vanderbilt) and Donald Sloan (Texas A&M) and forwards Luke Babbitt (Nevada), Damion James (Texas), Pat Patterson (Kentucky) and Dwayne Collins (Miami).
Of that group, Babbitt, Patterson and James are considered first-round material - with draftnet.com slotting those three to go anywhere from 11th overall to 17th in the first round.
The Heat holds the No. 18 pick in the first round, in addition to picks No. 41, 42 and 48 in the second round of the June 24 draft.
If there is a common theme or two among Tuesday's group, it's that many of the prospects are upperclassmen and have impressive length or size for their respective positions.
Beal is a 6-3 point guard who averaged 14.6 points and 3.1 assists. Sloan, also 6-3, averaged 17.8 points and 2.3 assists for Texas A&M while filling the void left by first-round pick A.C. Law IV a few years ago.
While Collins was clearly the hometown favorite in the closed session, having worked out for Miami a year ago when he thought about leaving the Hurricanes after his junior season.
But Patterson and Babbitt are the two prospects from this group who could seriously intrigue the Heat. Patterson was overshadowed last season at Kentucky by freshmen John Wall and Demarcus Cousins, with both expected to be among the top five players picked in the draft later this month.
Having talked to a couple of scouts and college basketball analysts, the picture many paint of Patterson looks a lot like a healthier and more explosive version of Wayne Simien in college. Same body. Same game. Similar college stats. Solid character. Hard worker. Think a younger, healthy Antonio McDyess perhaps.
But above all else, the 6-8, 223-pound Patterson has a 7-1 wingspan, meaning he could make up for his lack of height at power forward with a Theo Ratliff-like wingspan.
Babbitt was the do-it-all catalyst you might not have heard of out of Nevada. He averaged 21.9 points and 8.9 rebounds as a sophomore and one of the most productive players in the country. There's a great chance he won't be available when the Heat picks at No. 18 - if the Heat picks at all and resists urges to trade some or all of its selections.
Scouts say Babbitt has NBA range and is crafty, athletic and skilled enough to get his shot off at the NBA level. Some suggests he's a lot like Mike Miller, but with a bit more of an inside game and a bit less of a handle.
With the Heat essentially working from a clean slate with its roster (only two players under contract next season) the team can go a number of different ways with its picks this month. But I'd expect Pat to make size and shooting his main priorities.
Workouts resume with another group visiting Wednesday. We'll update the prospects who work out this week as they become available.
(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)
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