Pick No. 15: Miami Heat select Isaiah Collier
After miraculously making the 2023 NBA Finals as an eighth seed (the second to do so in NBA history), the Miami Heat lost in the First Round to the Boston Celtics. Looking at Miami’s roster, it’s apparent they don’t have enough talent to be considered legitimate contenders despite their 2023 run. One thing in particular that they are lacking is a point guard. Both of their guards, Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro, are better suited as go-to scorers than someone who can be relied on to orchestrate the offense.
Miami was a bottom-five team in the league in terms of points per game at 110.1. A large part of this is due to their lack of offensive identity and need for a floor general. Isaiah Collier was a top prospect before entering his first year at USC. He had a relatively underwhelming season, averaging 16.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals on 49/34/67 shooting splits. Despite this, if a team is looking for a guard outside the lottery, Collier may possess the highest upside out of any available prospect.
He has a solid NBA frame for a point guard at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, and his downhill attacking style of play could benefit from the fast pace and open space in the NBA. Two aspects of Collier’s game that need improvement are his playmaking and shooting. Despite averaging only 4.3 assists per game, Collier had 3.3 turnovers, making poor reads, trying to force the ball, and playing out of control too frequently. He also doesn’t have excellent shooting touch, as evidenced by his 33.8 percent three-point and 67.3 percent free throw shooting.
Effective point guards are great at maximizing possessions by controlling the ball and generating quality looks. Collier needs to improve in these aspects, which may cause him to fall outside the lottery. However, he could make sense for a team like the Miami Heat just outside the lottery. The Heat desperately need a long-term point guard, and Collier has the upside to fill that role potentially.
Other teams that make sense for Collier include the Orlando Magic at No. 18, the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 20, and the Phoenix Suns at No. 22.