Miami Heat: 5 goals for Goran Dragic in 2017-18
By Simon Smith
2. Combine with Dion Waiters to form a lethal backcourt
The backcourt tandem of Dragic and Waiters had an interrupted start to their partnership last season. But when they began to acclimate themselves to one another, the results were spectacular.
Miami Heat
Over the second half of last season, when the Heat now famously posted a 30-11 record, Dragic and Waiters played together on 24 occasions. During this stretch, the backcourt duo produced a net rating of +9.6 when they on the court together, which featured an outstanding offensive rating of 115.6. in 19.2 minutes per game.
To put that rating in perspective, the NBA champion Golden State Warriors led the league with an offensive rating of 113.2. In other words, the Heat were simply elite on the offensive end when Dragic and Waiters shared the court in the back half of the season.
Now with a season behind them, there is no reason why this duo can’t challenge some of the other elite backcourts in the Eastern Conference. There’s Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan from the Toronto Raptors. Then there’s John Wall and Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
Unlike the other duos mentioned here, Dragic and Waiters have spent very little time together on the court together. So while it’s just a small sample size, the second half of last season is bound to give the Heat’s backcourt an abundance of success.
And if they come close to repeating the 21-3 record they experienced playing together to finish last season, the Heat will be certain to soar up the standings this coming season.