Kyle Terada- USA Today Sports
Larry Drew II is a raw talent who was undrafted in 2013, and was recently signed by the Miami Heat organization. Some would say that Drew peaked in high school, winning the John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award in 2008 before starting his college career with the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Drew’s high school basketball talents didn’t exactly translate into his play for the Tar Heels, only averaging 1.4 points, 1.9 assists, 1.2 turnovers and 1.1 rebounds in nine minutes of play. The lack of playing time forced Drew to transfer to UCLA in 2011. Although he sat out the 2011-12 season, Drew came back with a vengeance the following year and broke Pooh Richardson’s school record for most assists in a season. Drew even made the All-Pac-12 first team.
Drew has the skillset of a prototypical point guard. Drew is short in stature, listed at 6-foot-2, but makes up for it with speed and athleticism. Being able to assist as well as Drew can is an added bonus for the Heat organization. Although the Heat have two young players in Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole manning the point guard position, neither player has averaged more than five assists throughout the course of a regular season. Drew is such a strong passer, that he might end up making the roster based on this one attribute alone. Any player can work on becoming a better scorer, but it takes a high basketball IQ to have the type of court vision being an elite passer requires.
Drew will have a tough time making the final 15-man roster, solely due to the fact that the point guard position isn’t exactly a top priority in terms of depth for the Heat organization. If Drew can bring his elite passing abilities to the NBA, he just might have a chance to play with the defending champions.
Jared Doyle is a Miami Heat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @outofboundsjay, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
