The Miami Heat's recent stretch of wins will presumably net them a first-round pick outside the lottery. This draft is expected to have one of the most stacked draft classes in terms of depth. Players such as Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson are being viewed as generational talents. They are expected to be picked inside the top five draft selections but the surrounding draft class is still making some real noise.
Bleacher Report released their updated first-round mock draft. In their projection, Miami holds the No. 17 selection, just outside the lottery and select Washington Huskies center Hannes Steinbach. In a separate article from Bleacher Report, the German center is compared to 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.
"Miami might be spawning a true two-headed monster in the frontcourt with (83-point scorer!) Bam Adebayo and shot-blocking, shot-making unicorn Kel'el Ware," the article wrote." The problem is that it has next to nothing else of note when it comes to size or depth at center. Enter Steinbach. He is sort of the anti-Ware in that his shooting is shaky and his rim protection is nonexistent, but he's also the anti-Ware in terms of being incredibly consistent with his levels of engagement and activity. Steinbach is skilled and hardworking around the rim, and there's a chance he'll be a spacer at some point."
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/forward hybrid to the rotation, especially if the team parts with Kel'el Ware as part of a blockbuster trade this offseason. Steinbach's impressive shooting splits, along with his skillset as a spacer around the rim, could make him an intriguing option in the middle of the first round.
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