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So close, yet so far away.
The Miami Heat made a hopeful push all the way to the NBA Finals despite having a roster that played seven undrafted players during the NBA Playoffs. Though they didn't go out without a fight, the Denver Nuggets officially sealed the franchise's first-ever NBA championship with a 94-89 win over the Heat on Monday.
“There's no regrets on our end,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, via the Associated Press. “There's just sometimes where you get beat, and Denver was the better basketball team in this series.
“That's about as hard — I don't know how long it would take me to go through the autopsy of this final game, but I would say that it will probably rank as our hardest, competitive, most active defensive game of the season, and it still fell short.”
The Heat will have nine players with the possibility of returning to the roster, according to sport team and player contract site Spotrac. Forward Jimmy Butler, guard Kyle Lowry and center Bam Adebayo highlight the players under contract for Miami in the 2023-24 season. Five unrestricted and three restricted free agents make up the players the Heat will have to try to re-sign before the start of next season. Guard Victor Oladipo is listed with a player option.
Miami has the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. It will have plenty of avenues to go down with the selection but may have to focus on reinforcing the one, four and five spots if they want to make another hopeful run for the Finals.
Who is a sneaky pick for the Miami Heat with the No. 18 selection in the 2023 NBA Draft?
Olivier-Maxence Prosper
“Heat Culture,” aside from being a lifestyle of its own, can be defined by a few simple things.
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“It's a lifestyle, bro,” former Heat forward Udonis Haslem said in a 2021 interview with GQ Sports. “You can't just tap in when the season start and tap back out when it's over. That's how yo ass get hurt next year in training camp. You pretty much have to stay in shape year around…Heat Culture is discipline, accountability, work ethic and enjoying somebody else's success.”
Marquette forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper can embody at least one of those things.
“The biggest thing is just the way I play the game,” Prosper said when asked why he thinks he impressed so much during the pre-draft process in a one-on-one interview with the Pacers on Tuesday. “The way I compete, how hard I work out there to win, my energy on the floor, the way I play this game.
“I feel like I'm starting to show how consistent of a shooter I am and how I have improved my ball handling. It's something that I didn't necessarily show in college. That's something that opened the eyes of a lot of NBA front offices. It's just about belief in myself.”
The 6-foot-8-inch forward highlighted his ability to lift the energy and bring a spark to a team on Tuesday.
“The biggest thing I'm trying to show them is I'm the guy I can bring a spark to a team,” Prosper said when asked what he was trying to showcase during the pre-draft process, via The Pacers. “Especially defensively, a guy that can come in, guard multiple positions. A guy that's going to lift the energy on the floor up.
“On offense, a guy that can stretch the floor, knock down open shots, cut, finish, play in transition. All different things. I want to show teams I can be a reliable two-way player.”
Aside from the Taxpayer Mid-Level exception, it will be tough for the Heat to add any extra big talent in free agency. They will likely have to turn to the draft to find long-term options if they don't find a way to retain some of their more notable free agents.
The Heat will need to find a way to add extra forward depth should Kevin Love, an unrestricted free agent in 2023, not return to the squad. The former Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers forward signed with the Heat after the Cavs bought him out in February. Forward Haywood Highsmith will be on a non-guaranteed contract for the 2023-24 season, according to Spotrac. The deal will become fully guaranteed on July 15.
Prosper averaged 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game during his second season with Marquette. He played in 68 games and started in 61 during his two-year Marquette career. The former Golden Eagle may not start right away for Miami, but he can provide some valuable depth at both forward spots and extra size at the four.
