These 6 Outstanding Miami Heat Rookies Made All-Rookie First Team

The Miami Heat’s performance has been among the association’s most consistent franchises since it joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1988-89. The team has made the playoffs in 25 of its 36 seasons, including in each of the last five seasons, and won three championships.

 

Miami has also had plenty of players achieve individual success. LeBron James won two NBA MVPs with the Heat and 10 Heat players have participated in the annual NBA All-Star Game, while Alonzo Mourning won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and is one of five Heat players to make the All-NBA First Team.

 

Known for their impressive track record in player development, Miami has also had six first-year players make an immediate impact in the NBA and earn an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection.

 

1. Sherman Douglas (1990)

 

Selected by Miami 28th overall in the second round of the 1989 NBA Draft, Sherman Douglas had a standout rookie season with Miami in the team's second season, in 1989-90. A 6-foot point guard from Washington, DC, Douglas averaged 14.3 points, 7.6 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game on 49.4 percent shooting from the field. Douglas was the Heat MVP the following season after averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 73 games.

 

Despite his impressive play in his first two seasons, Miami traded Douglas to the Boston Celtics midway through the 1991-92 season for Brian Shaw. Douglas played five seasons in Boston, averaging 14 points, 8.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game. He later played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Jersey Nets, concluding his NBA career following the 2000-01 season. Shaw, meanwhile, averaged 7.9 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in three seasons with the Heat.

 

2. Steve Smith (1992)

 

A native of Highland Park, Michigan who played for Michigan State University, Steve Smith was Miami's first pick, fifth overall, in the 1991 NBA Draft. While he was most successful with the Atlanta Hawks, Smith had a solid five-year career with the Heat, averaging 14.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. As a first-year player in 1991-92, he earned All-Rookie distinction after averaging 12 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 61 games.

 

In November 1994, Miami traded Smith, Grant Long, and a second-round pick in the 1996 NBA Draft to the Hawks for Kevin Willis and a first-round pick in 1996. Smith was an All-Star in 1997-98 and finished sixth in Sixth Man of the Year voting with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2000-01. He also played for the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Hornets, and Charlotte Bobcats.

 

3. Caron Butler (2003)

 

A two-time NBA All-Star who played for nine teams and won a title with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, Caron Butler spent the first two seasons of his career with the Heat. Miami drafted the combo guard-forward out of the University of Connecticut 10th overall in the 2002 NBA Draft. He started in all the 78 games in which he played as a rookie in 2002-03, averaging 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

 

Butler regressed in 2003-04, averaging just 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. Miami traded him, along with Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a pair of draft picks, to the Los Angeles Lakers for Shaquille O'Neal in July 2004.

 

4. Dwyane Wade (2004)

 

Miami's greatest all-time player, Wade played 15 of his 17 NBA seasons with the Heat and averaged 22.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds. He was a 13-time All-Star with Miami, won three league titles, was MVP of the 2006 NBA Finals, and earned three All-Defensive team selections. Wade was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.

 

The fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Wade showcased his potential as a rookie, averaging 16.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 4 rebounds through 61 games. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

 

5. Michael Beasley (2009)

 

The second overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Michael Beasley averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1 assist per game primarily coming off the bench in his rookie season. He started just 19 of the 81 games in which he played and finished top-20 in Sixth Man of the Year voting and seventh in Rookie of the Year voting. Beasley started 72 games the following season for Miami, but the team traded him in the 2010 offseason to the Minnesota Timberwolves for cash and a pair of second-round draft picks.

 

Beasley last played with the Lakers in the 2018-19 season. He averaged 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 609 career games.

 

6. Kendrick Nunn (2020)

 

An undrafted free agent, Kendrick Nunn signed with the Heat in 2019 and finished as runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2019-20 after averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. He averaged similar numbers the following year, but he missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a knee injury and hasn't been the same since. He last played in the NBA with the Washington Wizards in 2022-23 and spent the 2023-24 season with Panathinaikos in Greece.

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