With the playoffs fully underway and the Miami Heat not being a part of them, all eyes are now focused on the offseason. The Heat were bounced in the Play-In tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, they have the opportunity to add a contributor with their highest projected draft pick in recent years. Miami is ranked at No. 13 in terms of draft lottery odds and have a one-percent chance at landing the No. 1 pick.
Bleacher Report released their latest first-round mock draft. In their projection, Miami holds the No. 13 selection, the second-to-last pick of the lottery and selects Washington Huskies center Hannes Steinbach. In a separate article from Bleacher Report, the German center is handed a pro comparison of Zach Collins, a 2017 first-round pick who spent the early part of his career with injury concerns before carving out a role as a backup center.
"Any number of different paths could lead the Heat to Steinbach on draft night," the article wrote. "Maybe they're ready to commit to the jumbo-sized pairing of Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware (which had a plus-8.2 net rating over 505 minutes this season) and need reliability behind them. Or perhaps they'll need to part with Ware in order to bring back their preferred whale this offseason. No matter the reason, they could seek out Steinbach. His rebounding and interior finishing could be quick need-fillers. And Miami, in turn, could be the right organization to tap into his shooting potential and mask some of his defensive deficiencies."
Steinbach was the leading man for Huskies throughout their lackluster season, although he was a bright spot. Washington finished 12th in the Big Ten standings with a a 16-17 overall record and a 7-13 record in conference play. Steinbach averaged 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 57.7 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range. Steinbach was not ranked in the class of 2025 ESPN recruitment rankings. However, he was viewed as a four-star recruit in the 24/7 Sports database.
The Heat could definitely add another center to the rotation, especially if the team parts with Kel'el Ware as part of a blockbuster trade this offseason (specifically a deal for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo). Steinbach's impressive shooting splits, along with his skillset as a spacer around the rim, could make him an intriguing option in the first round.