Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: 20 Players Turning Their Seasons Around

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 3, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons (25) drives to the basket past Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 3, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons (25) drives to the basket past Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) during the first half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
20 of 21
Next
NBA
Feb 19, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Heat defeated the Hawks 115-111. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Goran Dragic

For awhile there, it looked like Goran Dragic’s fit with the Miami Heat — Dwyane Wade in particular — would never work itself out. Wade wanted to slow things down and play with the ball in his hands, and though Dragic agreed about the having the ball in his hands part, he wanted to speed things up. It was a direct conflict in playing styles, and suggesting that Erik Spoelstra should stagger their minutes wasn’t the worst idea in the world.

But with Chris Bosh and so many players being banged up over the last few weeks, Dragic has reemerged as the Dragon he once was in Phoenix, averaging 16.8 points, 7.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game on 48.9 percent shooting splits over the team’s last 10 games.

With Dragic locked in for the long-term, the Heat really needed this to work out. Now that the Dragon is playing with more confidence, pushing the pace to suit his strengths, and forming a nice connection with Hassan Whiteside in the pick-and-roll and on alley-oops, Miami may have its core locked in for the future.

Next: No. 1