2025 Miami Heat Mock Draft Roundup: May 14

NBA Draft Miami Heat — (Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

Hello all, happy Wednesday! The 2025 NBA Draft is just over one month away and we are over 24 hours removed from the Draft Lottery. I’m not going to sit here and argue that it was rigged or not rigged; I don’t care for conspiracy theories, so I’ll let you all decide. All I know is that the Miami Heat suffered (some) collateral damage despite their actual draft pick position (No. 20 overall) not being affected.

Who do pundits have the Heat selecting? Let’s dive into it!

ESPN (Jonathan Givony, Jeremy Woo):

Liam McNeeley, G/F, UConn

“Scouting report: McNeeley’s size, shotmaking prowess, feel for the game and toughness are critical attributes that NBA teams value at the wing position, but he will need to remind them of his winning qualities throughout the predraft process. He had a few big moments as a freshman at UConn but struggled to score efficiently, converting 44% of his 2-pointers and 32% of his 3-pointers while looking out of position defensively at times.

“He will likely be asked to play a different role in the NBA, leaning more heavily into his ability as a dynamic perimeter shooter, which was more evident in other settings before college. Strong workouts will be important for McNeeley to remind teams of what made him so highly regarded entering the season, especially with his shooting, the foundation of his NBA appeal. — Givony”

“NBA intel and fit: Advancing out of the play-in tournament meant Miami lost its lottery-protected first-round pick (No. 15) to Oklahoma City — a remnant of the 2019 offseason trade to acquire Jimmy Butler III. Sending Butler to Golden State six years later secured this pick, an opportunity for the front office to again showcase its talent evaluation skills after finding considerable success in the draft over the years.”

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie):

Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State

“Richardson is a good bet from a talent perspective. Over his final 15 games, he averaged 16.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists versus only 0.7 turnovers. The reason those games are important is that’s the moment when Richardson entered the starting lineup after a terrific first half of the season. Richardson has great touch as a shooter and scorer but is still developing his lead guard skills. He’s not all that great of a passer, but more than that, he’s not all that great with his right hand at this stage. Most of Michigan State’s actions got the ball into his left hand and put him in advantageous actions. Teams will want to put him through several different situations during his meetings and workouts to learn more about how he can grow and develop over the next few years.”

Bleacher Report (Jonathan Wasserman):

Ben Saraf, G, Israel

“In the mid-to-late first round, Ben Saraf should start to earn consideration from teams interested in adding more creation and playmaking.

“The numbers and eye test show a guard with an advanced handle and passing feel in ball-screen situations. Teams will debate his shooting and defensive projection, but he’s been effective pulling up in the mid-range, and his competitiveness has looked like a plus.

“Teams will be hoping to see him at the NBA combine, where they’ll learn official measurements and analyze his shot.”

SB Nation (Ricky O’Donnell):

Will Riley, G/F, Illinois

“Riley fits the mold of a microwave scorer, only he’s a lot bigger than most players in that archetype at 6’8. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well from deep (32.6 percent) and struggled to score efficiently (53.3 percent true shooting) as a freshman at Illinois, but his talent is easy to see. Riley still needs to add a lot of strength to his frame, which will help him get all the way to basket instead of setting from mid-range. Getting stronger will help his defense, too, which is currently a major question mark. The Heat feel like an ideal landing spot to help him develop physically and let his natural ability flourish.”

Yahoo Sports (Kevin O’Connor):

Noah Penda, F, France

“Pat Riley said he has no plans to retire and that ’80 is the new 60,’ so it’s hard to imagine the Heat going with a raw project in the draft. Which is why Penda makes a ton of sense; he plays with a veteran’s mind and a winning mentality, offering connective playmaking, switchable defense and high-level feel. He’ll need to improve his jumper to stick long-term, but his unselfish game and defensive utility give him a strong foundation that could help Miami win games right away.”

CBS Sports (Kyle Boone):

Noah Essengue, F, France

“The teammate of aforementioned Ulm guard Ben Saraf, Essengue is also enjoying a breakout season overseas as a first-round big man prospect. He’s made nearly 30% from 3-point range in an improvement on last season and carved out a significant role in a talented league at just 18 years old.”

No Ceilings (Rowan Kent):

Asa Newell, F/C, Georgia

“In typical Heat fashion, the organization simply let the board fall as it may and walked away with a high-upside player who fits well in their system. Newell is a young, springy forward who can guard the rim, stick with players on the perimeter, finish inside with a vengeance, and make the right play in the flow of the offense; he also still has a burgeoning jumper. That may sound like a prospect who belongs higher than 20th, but Newell does have some size and spacing concerns that the Heat will be more than happy to wait through while he develops. The fit is a bit curious alongside Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware, but that’s what the consensus was for Ware last season before he paired excellently with Adebayo. As the first big off the bench for Miami, Newell will be in line to grab boards, run the floor, and be a high-level role player with gobs of upside to spare.”

Fansided (Michael Saenz):

Nique Clifford, G/F, Colorado State

“With a late first-round pick, the Miami Heat doesn’t have much promise to find a star player in this year’s NBA Draft, but I do believe there’s some value in taking the best player available in such a strong class. Nique Clifford might be that player for the Heat at this point in the first round. He has great size for a guard and is coming off back-to-back efficient offensive seasons.

“If the Heat are looking for a player who could seemingly come in and play a role for the team off the bench, Clifford could be that prospect for the team at this point in the first round. And in the Heat’s system, he could truly blossom in the future.”

2025 NBA Draft: 7 names to keep an eye on for Heat with 20th pick

Fox Sports (Jason McIntyre):

Thomas Sorber, F, Georgetown

“Feels like the Heat could go a million different directions, and that includes maybe trading Bam Adebayo. Sorber was one of the best shot blockers in the country last season before suffering an injury.”