Nebraska Basketball: Isaiah Roby selected by Heat in NBA mock draft

By Leigh Oleszczak | Jun 20, 2019

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 02: Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Isaiah Roby (15) shoots a free throw during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 2, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Nebraska basketball is saying good-bye to Isaiah Roby this offseason and an NBA team will be fortunate to have him on their squad. Who will he land with in the 2019 NBA Draft?

It isn’t all that often that Nebraska basketball sees one of their own getting selected in the NBA Draft, but junior Isaiah Roby has a good chance at hearing his name called on Thursday night. He opted to leave the Huskers after an impressive 2018-2019 season (his head coach getting fired probably helped his decision too).

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports conducted one last NBA mock draft before the New Orleans Pelicans are on the clock (their pick shouldn’t take long) and he had Nebraska’s Isaiah Roby getting scooped up by the Miami Heat in the second round.

Here is what Norlander said,

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"After a good showing at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Roby is a top-30 athlete in this year’s crop. Roby is a sure thing to be picked because of his length, solid handle for a player of his size and commitment to playing defense."

It’s hard to argue any of that. There’s a reason Roby was able to leave Nebraska one year early and that’s because he’s ready to play in the NBA now. He played 31.2 minutes per game this past season and averaged 11.8 points during his junior campaign. Norlander also mentions his size and ability to play defense, both of which will be cherished by an NBA team picking in the second round.

While Roby’s efforts weren’t enough to get the Cornhuskers into the NCAA Tournament, a lot of Nebraska’s failures on the court this year were due to other guys getting injured. Roby could only do so much and he, at times, carried the Huskers in games.

As for him landing with the Miami Heat, he could definitely see playing time in South Beach should it actually go down this way. Along with the 44th pick, Miami holds the 13th pick as well, so they’ll get some talent in this draft and will want to get that young talent on the court.

With Dwayne Wade retiring, the Heat need new likable guys and Roby could provide just that, even if he isn’t the flashiest player. He was a fan favorite in Lincoln and there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be a fan favorite amongst Heat fans either.

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It’s cool to have a Nebraska basketball player actually being looped in with this mock draft stuff. The last Husker to be taken in the NBA Draft was 20 years ago (Venson Hamilton), so this is huge for the program, especially with a new head coach taking over.

Best of luck to Isaiah Roby on Thursday as the 2019 NBA Draft takes place! GO BIG RED!

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