In the grand scheme of things, the Miami Heat are one of the newest teams in the NBA. Started in 1988, the Heat haven't had the luxury of multiple decades to try their luck in the draft like many other teams. Despite that, their NBA Draft history is riddled with success.

However, in their 31 seasons, the Heat has made the postseason 20 times. That wouldn't be possible if the Heat didn't find hidden gems later in draft classes. Many of the franchises' best players like Dwyane Wade and Glen Rice were selected early in the draft process but what about the impact players that, despite being undervalued, made an impact in their time in Miami.

Sherman Douglas

An undersized point guard out of Syracuse, Douglas fell to the second round (28th overall) in the 1989 draft despite a dominant senior season in college and setting the NCAA career assist record.

Well, Douglas immediately proved to doubters that he had no business slipping to the second round after a great rookie season that saw him make the All-Rookie team that season.

Douglas only played two and a half seasons in Miami and was quickly dealt to the Boston Celtics after holding out before the season. However, per-game averages of 16.0 points and 7.9 assists per game made Douglas an important part of those early Heat teams.

Kevin Edwards

The franchise's second-ever draft pick, Edwards, who went 20th overall out of DePaul turned into a really solid and consistent player for the Heat.

Primarily coming off the bench in his Heat career, Edwards was a solid scorer and passer for the second unit. Never a star, Edwards played five seasons for Miami and averaged a solid 12.2 points, 3.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

He made the All-Rookie second team in his first season and proved that Miami could find talent outside the lottery. Solid Heat news if we ever read it. 

Grant Long

If you're starting to sense a pattern here, you're not mistaken. A second-round pick (33rd overall) in 1988, Long is yet another example of Miami finding contributors in the first few years of the team's existence.

Despite averaging 23.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game at Eastern Michigan and earning MAC Player of the Year, Long's lack of elite size and competition forced him to fall.

Either way, the 6-foot-8 power forward was able to make an immediate impact for Miami. Long played just over six seasons for the Heat and was a solid scorer and underrated rebounder alongside Rony Seikaly in the frontcourt.

Josh Richardson

The most recent player on this list, the Heat found an absolute gem with the 40th pick in 2015. An undersized wing out of the University of Tennessee, Richardson improved every year while he was in Miami.

In 2018-19, Richardson put up a career-best 16.6 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while being one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

It's a shame that Heat fans only got to see four seasons of the former second-round pick as he was sent to the Philadelphia 76ers in the deal for Jimmy Butler. However, Richardson falling to the second round was a blessing for a Heat team that definitely needed his impact in the past few years.