Re-drafting the 2020 NBA Draft — 20. R.J. Hampton, Miami Heat
A trade deadline move from Denver to Orlando defined R.J. Hampton’s rookie season. He went from the periphery to the focus, emerging as one of several young players on the Magic roster. In this re-draft, he moves further south to Miami. The Heat’s player development is virtually unrivaled, giving Hampton a good chance to sharpen his skills on a contender.
In 26 games with Orlando, Hampton averaged 11.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game. He has good size for a combo guard, with the length to defend up a position in a pinch. On offense, he’s not a lead playmaker, but Miami would have the luxury of placing him around Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, and Bam Adebayo, all of whom can shoulder the playmaking burden.
Miami has its share of guards right now, but Hampton made a compelling case to go even higher than this. He’s good enough to scrape together minutes that once belonged to Kendrick Nunn. In fact, he could very well improve on the Nunn minutes.