Without using a lottery pick, the Miami Heat have subtly assembled one of the league’s most interesting young cores over the past four NBA drafts. Miami’s scouting department has been successful year after year from 2022 to 2025, establishing a five-man team that many think might serve as the franchise’s cornerstone for years to come.
KJ Simpson (2025) provides three-level scoring and playmaking at the guard position; thus, the lineup is legitimate. The archetypal 3-and-D wing is Pelle Larsson (2024). Jaime Jaquez Jr. (2022) attacks the rim with a basketball IQ and unrelenting enthusiasm. Inside-out scoring versatility is provided by Nikola Jović, and Miami has a mobile big man in Kel’el Ware (2024) who can stretch the floor and crash the boards.
It’s a well-rounded, competent, and positionally adaptable team that was all internally recruited and nurtured, which is more significant.
Because of Miami’s top-notch scouting and development system, three of those players—Jaquez, Ware, and now Simpson—were frequently referred to as “steals of the draft” in their respective years. Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder have mastered the process of finding underappreciated players, nurturing them inside, and stacking talent while retaining flexibility. This concept is similar to that.
Following the OKC model, the Heat executive office is now being urged by both fans and analysts to completely commit to the rebuild. The recommendation? When it makes sense, sell high on veterans, accumulate draft selections, and let the youthful core mature and flourish together. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are at a crossroads in their contracts due to age.
Miami might change its identity without becoming less competitive.
One league executive told reporters, “The front office has shown they can find gems late in the draft.” “They could easily rebuild faster than most people realize if they start building their war chest of picks.”
Although the Heat haven’t decided on a course yet, their degree of draft success indicates that they’ve set the stage for a new era that will depend more on astute scouting, growth, and long-term planning than on big-ticket trades or max contracts.
Don’t be shocked if Miami follows the Presti route and this indigenous core—created with time, accuracy, and Heat Culture rather than with gaudy headlines—becomes the league’s next big story.
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