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The Miami Heat had an incredible run in the 2023 NBA Playoffs despite ultimately falling short in the NBA Finals vs. the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets were simply a much better team, and Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and company inevitably proved too much to handle. Still, the Heat have a lot to hang their hats on, and should be proud going into the offseason. As Jimmy Butler and the rest of the squad find some time to rest, the front office now has a big offseason ahead cementing the Heat as a contender. They will look to build in both the 2023 NBA Draft and NBA free agency, starting with the draft on June 22nd. The Heat possess the No. 18 pick and have plenty of options to consider. In the end, Kris Murray out of the University of Iowa is the perfect fit for the Heat with the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Arriving in the postseason as the No. 8 seed in the East, the Heat rode the coattails of Butler and a bunch of undrafted guys all the way to the NBA Finals. Surviving off of undrafted players is no recipe to mimic, but the Heat demonstrated they truly know how to develop players and find roles for them within their culture. Looking ahead to the NBA Draft this year, Miami will be targeting guys they know can come in and contribute immediately as well as adapt to whatever role the Heat need them to fill. It was evident that Heat culture is just different by the way they showed up in the postseason; the NBA Draft will be all about finding guys who can assimilate to the Miami way of basketball. With the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Heat need to look no further than Kris Murray in finding the next addition to Heat culture. In fact, there are two reasons in particular why the Miami Heat need to draft Kris Murray.
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Shooting
Although the Miami Heat shot the ball much better in the postseason, they ended up reverting to their regular season woes in the NBA Finals. They were one of the worst offensive units in the regular season and that started with an abysmal percentage from beyond the arc. It doesn't help that their primary scorers are Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, two guys that do not shoot the three-pointer very well. It might have been a different story if they had Tyler Herro in the postseason, but that will remain to be seen until next year. In order to not rely too heavily on the return of Tyler Herro for their three-point production, the Heat need to go after Kris Murray with the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
At 6'8, 220 pounds, Kris Murray was a 34.8% shooter from beyond the arc while in school. This is a really good percentage for a guy his size, as this stature will basically guarantee that he gets open looks. He would space the floor well for the Heat and teams could not hover around him at the perimeter, as his size will allow him to make a difference below the perimeter and within the paint. Not to mention, his older brother Keegan Murray just broke the record for most three-pointers made in a rookie season. If Kris is anything like his brother, which he figures to be, the Heat would be getting a lethal shooter with size that would force the defense to stay honest if they drafted Murray. It is clear that at No. 18 in the 2023 NBA Draft, Kris Murray's shooting ability makes him a perfect fit.
Size
The aforementioned size of Kris Murray is another reason why he is a perfect fit. Besides their struggles from the three-point line, the Heat are a very undersized team. Adebayo is a menace down low, but he is extremely small to be an NBA center and is a big reason why the Heat opt for zone defense often. Simply put, the Heat are a small team and need players who can impose their will via their size. This is why Kris Murray is a perfect fit, as not only would he bringing in great size at the forward position, but he wouldn't force the Heat to change their style of play.
Despite needing size, the Heat proved this year that they can find success playing their style of basketball. Small ball and tenacious defense and effort was enough to propel the Heat to the NBA Finals, and it would be prudent to develop this style going forward. Murray fits this system to a tee, as he can stretch the floor with his shooting ability and athleticism, but would give the Heat added length at the forward position that they don't have. His shooting ability combined with the size that complements the Heat's style of play, with an added element of length, makes Kris Murray the absolute perfect fit at No. 18 in the 2023 NBA Draft.
