Norris Cole: Why Rookie Point Guard Is the Steal of the 2011 NBA Draft

Looking at this season's crop of NBA rookies, one man has been talked about more than others.

It's not No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving or No. 2 pick Derrick Williams. Instead, it's No. 28 pick Norris Cole of the Miami Heat.

That's because he's the steal of the NBA draft.

Entering the season, the Heat had a need at center and at point guard, but they didn't address either except by re-signing Mario Chalmers.

That's because Pat Riley and company knew they had something special in Cole.

All Cole has done was grab immediate attention during training camp with his speed and the way he ran the Miami offense.

Since the season got underway, he's been very productive, averaging 10.7 points through Miami's first three games and has played a big part of the Heat's 3-0 start to the season.

That included a big fourth-quarter performance on Tuesday in a win against the Boston Celtics in which he finished with a career-high 20 points.

From tiny little Cleveland State, Cole is perfect for the Miami offense. He's not afraid of anything on the court, which isn't a trait that all rookies have entering their first NBA season.

On the court, he's a very good pick-and-roll guard which is a good fit for Eric Spoelstra's offense.

Through college and his early NBA career, it's obvious that Cole just knows how to play the game, which is the ultimate compliment.

He will experience some growing pains and plenty of ups-and-downs, as was evident in his five-point effort on Wednesday in a win against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Nevertheless, Cole will eventually become the starting point guard for the Heat. It may take a while, but once he gets some more consistency from behind the arc and in other facets of his game, there should be nothing stopping him from major minutes in the Miami lineup.

Either way, getting a talent like Cole at No. 28 shows that Miami got the steal of this NBA draft.