It seems like just yesterday the Miami Heat were losing to mediocre teams in the Eastern Conference such as the Orlando Magic. The Heat would go from beating the Cleveland Cavaliers one night to dropping two straight the next few nights. The act was growing tiresome, as losing tends to do. Injuries piled up for the Heat, rendering the team broken at various times in the season.
But then Goran Dragic came.
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This story isn’t filled with all sunshine and rainbows. Dragic came at a pivotal time for the Heat, who were trying to claw their way into the playoffs discussion by any means necessary. They had just discovered their physical new center, Hassan Whiteside. But they weren’t ever able to get a groove going. When the Heat landed Dragic, tragedy struck the team.
It had been reported that Chris Bosh had blood clots hidden somewhere in his system (the team hadn’t reported where yet).
Thankfully, the Heat have been able to go through this situation virtually unscathed. Yes, they lost Bosh for the rest of the season (although he will be returning to action in September), but they have been successful at winning. That is something that is important at this point in the season.
The Heat have won seven of their last 10 games, including beating the Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Much of that success has been due to Dragic’s play at the point guard position. He has allowed everyone to play their natural position, and can create his own shot when necessary, and has the ability to create for other people. One of the biggest things I never payed attention to while watching Dragic on the Phoenix Suns was his passing.
I never realized what a good passer he actually was. Maybe it was because on that team they asked him to score, since Eric Bledsoe was on the team. But he is a great passer. He is averaging six assists per game in the month of March and is only averaging 2.3 turnovers while doing it.
This video is a little bit dated, but it highlights what I am talking about:
But more importantly, Dragic can create his own shot and get to the rim at will. In the month of March, he is averaging 19 points per game on 56 percent shooting from the field. The most important trait that he has is finishing at the rim, which he does at 70 percent from the field. His percentage getting to the rim is at LeBron James-status.
What this does is make defenses honest, especially in the second unit when Dwyane Wade is taken off the court. He is paired with Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley and Chris Andersen when this happens. Those players can stretch the floor, so Dragic can pass out of the drive. But Andersen is also really athletic so he can catch the occasional alley-oop when he gets open.
It was during this time that the Heat would struggle, around the beginning of the second quarter and the third quarter. Thanks to Dragic, that struggle is no longer there.
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