NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Narrowing down the picks after lottery, combine

The Miami Heat are in a tough position with an aging roster and absolutely zero cap space and could use an injection of young talent in a big way.

Gonzaga’s Japanese combo forward Rui Hachimura certainly has talent, but he might not be NBA ready right away because his feel for the game is still developing.

He has a 7-foot-2 wingspan and can shoot well from mid-range, but the game still doesn’t appear to have developed a natural fluidity — he can appear quite mechanical and uncertain at times.

That said, his shooting mechanics are straight out of a “how-to-shoot” book and his percentages should improve with experience and repetition. He runs the floor well and finishes strong on the break, but is still playing catch-up after coming to the U.S. three years ago and only playing in structured settings.

He’s a classic tweener — a bit small for a traditional 4 and not completely possessing the skill set to make it as a 3, but in the modern NBA he could evolve into a solid small-ball 4.

What Hachimura needs most is a lot of time in pickup 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 situations, so he can become more comfortable when set plays break down.