Goran Dragic spent the majority of the 2019-20 regular season coming off of the bench for the Miami Heat. This was a new role for him, after being a starter for the majority of his previous six NBA seasons.
Dragic recently spoke to Sekou Smith of NBA.com to talk about his career as well as his time with the Heat. For Dragic, his role and being a starter wasn’t as important as winning games.
“I was never concerned about the role on this team. That’s not how we operate. That’s not the way this team is built. Coach told me what he needed and it’s my job to do what needs to be done. That’s all.”
Now, in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, Dragic has been a starter in all ten of Miami’s playoff games and has been arguably their most important player. He is averaging a playoff career-high 21.9 points per contest while also shooting a career-best .391 from deep.
“I accept my role coming from the bench and I think so, that helped me a lot in my career, especially with Spo putting me in the right position and my teammates as well. From there on, it’s easy to play because I don’t have no worries, I’m just free. I’m just playing out there and having fun.”
The Slovenian certainly seems to be playing free. He is second on the team in scoring behind only Jimmy Butler. He also has crashed the boards efficiently, giving Miami 4.7 rebounds per game. Dragic has been a facilitator on offense, with 4.6 assists per contest, good for second on the Heat in the playoffs. Goran Dragic has the right mindset and has been a key veteran piece in the Miami Heat’s 9-1 record thus far in the playoffs.
