Are The Miami Heat Using Goran Dragic Correctly?

With a starting five of Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside, the Miami Heat have — on paper, at least — as good a roster as almost anyone in the Eastern Conference. For those buying into Miami’s potential this season, the Heat join the Chicago Bulls as the biggest threat to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ reign in the East.

However, since Miami’s starting unit didn’t log a single minute together in 2014-15, most figured this team would be something of a work in progress to start the 2015-16 season. So far, the the Heat (3-3) have been the epitome of up-and-down, alternating wins and losses through their first six games.

A decent 10-point win over the Charlotte Hornets was quickly followed by a 10-point loss the to the Cavs. A come-from-behind victory against the Houston Rockets preceded a narrow loss to the Atlanta Hawks. And a dominant win over the Minnesota Timberwolves was soon followed by a disappointing loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Chris Bosh is still trying to shake off the rust, Dwyane Wade continues to fight off Father Time and the Heat have missed Gerald Green for the last three games. But only two years removed from an All-NBA Third Team selection, Goran Dragic’s mediocre play represents the biggest obstacle this team has to overcome in order to become a legitimate force in the East.

Here’s a look at how the Heat are using — and misusing — a player who was a top-five point guard not that long ago.

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