If the Miami Heat wanted a winner, they got one. The team selected two-time national champion Shabazz Napier out of UConn with the 24th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
2014 NBA Draft results: Miami Heat to acquire Shabazz Napier with 24th pick
The two-time NCAA champion was drafted by the Hornets, but will be headed to Miami.
Ronald Martinez
The pick belonged to the Charlotte Hornets, but they traded Napier to Miami in exchange for the 26th and 55th picks as well as a future second-rounder.
NBA Draft
Napier played for former coach Jim Calhoun and current Hornets guard Kemba Walker during his freshman season, and the lessons learned with that 2011 national title squad paid dividends down the road. After an NCAA postseason ban on the Huskies, Napier returned to the NCAA Tournament under coach Kevin Ollie in 2013-14 and led UConn to another championship as a senior.
Napier averaged 18 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this past year. An average scorer at the rim -- it didn’t help he measured in less than 6’ tall without shoes -- and a willing defender, Napier is at his best as a shooter, as he hit 40 percent from deep this past season.
What might give him the biggest advantage against his draft peers is his résumé. Though Napier is solid in pick-and-roll situations, he will have to grow into more of a distributor and spot-up shooter role in the NBA.
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