Miami Heat: Ripple effects of Goran Dragic’s injury

The injury of Goran Dragic is a tough blow for the Miami Heat, who will have to make adjustments if they are to climb the standings.

The Miami Heat were given a tough blow on Wednesday when it was announced starting point guard Goran Dragic would require surgery to his right knee, which will keep him out for roughly two months, according to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Miami has already gotten off to a less than stellar beginning to the 2018-19 season. The Heat have amassed just a 13-16 record, good for 10th-best in the Eastern Conference. With so much money committed long-term, a trade worth anything isn’t likely coming for Pat Riley and co.

Now, they’ll have to replace the 15.3 points and 4.9 assists a night the Dragon brought to the table, divvying up both his minutes and responsibilities among a bevy of the Heat’s perimeter players.

Nobody down in South Beach can exactly replicate the shiftiness and pick-and-roll prowess the lefty Dragic possesses, but one of the beauties of this Miami squad is its depth at nearly every position, guaranteeing a solid replacement will always be waiting in the shadows until called upon, with seven players averaging double-figure scoring averages.

The player likely to experience the biggest changes following this injury is Justise Winslow. Head coach Erik Spoelstra experimented with the ball in the fourth-year forward’s hands in early December and was rewarded handsomely over a three-game stretch that saw Winslow average 18.3 points and 5.7 assists per game.

Spo was likely just throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick, especially since Dragic’s status was still up in the air, but with the Slovenian now on the bench for the foreseeable future, he will likely commit even further to this tactic and ride it for as long as possible.

Josh Richardson has been one of the few bright spots for the Heat this season with averages of 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game — all career highs. J-Rich had already seen an uptick in his usage rate, but with their primary ball-handler now set for street clothes, the Heat may try to give some of those responsibilities to their diamond in the rough.

Combo guard Tyler Johnson will likely be afforded the ball in his hands more often, and Dwyane Wade will also probably be given more to do as he puts a bow on his Hall of Fame career.

The Heat was a +2.9 per 100 possessions in the 408 minutes Dragic was on the court. He’s a big piece to what they do, and there’s no telling how the players will respond without him by their side, even with his absence in 12 of the last 14 games.

Maybe this will play out positively, with everyone on Miami’s roster making a concerted effort to do more on both ends in order to mask Dragic’s absence. Or, it’s possible the team fails to fill the gap and crumbles even further down the standings.

If the Heat want to make the playoffs, they’ll make sure it’s the former, and in order to make that happen, everyone will have to add just a little bit to their games in order to add a Dragic-sized contribution.