Miami Heat Rookie Ryan Conwell Starting To Generate Buzz This Offseason

The Miami Heat had a big offseason, adding Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, as part of that trade, the Heat parted with four players and also lost All-Star guard Norman Powell to the Chicago Bulls in free agency. Despite making the big franchise-swinging move by getting Antetokounmpo, there have been concerns about the team's lack of depth even though there have been a few extra additions such as Klay Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis.

There is one player who is making some noise this offseason who many are excited to see take the court. Ryan Conwell, the Heat's recent second-round draft pick is generating a ton of buzz throughout workouts and camps. He was originally selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 37 but was immediately traded to Miami for No. 41 and cash considerations proving the Heat really like him as a player.

Conwell, 22, took the unusual path of playing for a different school in each of his four college seasons. He first joined the South Florida Bulls as a three-star high school recruit and during his freshman season, he appeared in 31 games, averaging pretty low shooting splits as the Bulls sat near the bottom of the American Athletic Conference standings.

He then joined the Indiana State Sycamores for his sophomore season and had a phenomenal campaign, shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from three-point range. He helped lead the Sycamores to a program-changing season as they won the Missouri Valley Conference and even went to the NIT Final that same year.

Conwell took his success from Indiana State and transferred to Xavier to play under coach Sean Miller for the 2024-25 season. With Xavier, Conwell recorded similar numbers and helped lead the team to the first round of the NCAA tournament. After his success there, he rounded out his collegiate career with the Louisville Cardinals and while his three-point percentage dipped quite a bit, he was one of the team's leading scorers opposite first-round pick Mikel Brown Jr. and helped lead the team to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Now, Conwell can hopefully translate his college success to the professional level as he joins a roster undergoing a massive change to its personnel. Almost half of the Heat's roster are brand-new faces. The backcourt depth was looking like a problem for Miami but with the recent addition of Thompson, it may allow Conwell to first develop at the G-League level before making an impact with the NBA roster. It is quite rare for second-round picks to attract buzz and attention during the offseason but Conwell could be a really solid player for this rotation, whether it's this season or in the future.

Join the Community

Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news! It's completely free to join, simply by clicking the yellow button at the top of the homepage. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP and stay even more connected!