New York Knicks: Full 2017 NBA Mock Draft With Upside Comparisons

14. Miami Heat: John Collins, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Ultimate Upside Comparison: Otis Thorpe
Safe Upside Comparison: Udonis Haslem
Position: Power Forward
Age: 19 (9/23/1997)
Height, Weight, Wingspan: 6’9.5″, 225 pounds, 6’11.25″
2016-17 Slash Line: .622/.000/.745
2016-17 Season Averages: 26.6 MPG, 19.2 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.8 ORPG, 1.6 BPG, 0.6 SPG

The Miami Heat have a physically dominant big man in starting center Hassan Whiteside. While Whiteside is capable of shouldering quite the heavy burden at the 5, the Heat would benefit from finding an ideal complement at power forward.

With Chris Bosh now out of the equation, the Heat look to find his replacement with a talented young player with explosive athleticism: John Collins.

A fair comparison for Collins would be former All-Star Otis Thorpe, who excelled as an athletic, rim-running power forward. Like Thorpe, Collins has no trouble finishing above the rim, is an outstanding offensive rebounder, and is a capable shooter from midrange.

Collins will need to improve his output on the defensive end of the floor, but he’s already a strong shot-blocker who can surpass Thorpe if he improved his fundamentals.

A second comparison may be loose and team-specific, but Collins shows similar traits to Heat great Udonis Haslem. He’s a workhorse who embraces the physicality of the game, as well as a player who seems to be growing into the modern standards.

If Haslem is willing to return for cheap, he could help mentor Collins and enable him to surpass both of these upside comparisons.