The Heat has lineup questions with injuries and depth. This player isn’t one of them
There has been talk this season about the Miami Heat’s uncertainties.
Injuries have kept four rotation players out while young players such as Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder and Derrick Jones Jr. have emerged, which will likely cause a minutes crunch once the team is healthy.
There’s also the battle in the frontcourt, where Hassan Whiteside, Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk are competing for playing time on a daily basis.
But flying under the radar has been possibly the one player who has been a steadying force in point guard Goran Dragic.
As the only true point guard on the team, Dragic’s role in the starting lineup is locked in. As an 11th-year veteran coming off his first All-Star Game appearance, he’s a role model for the younger players — Richardson, McGruder and Jones Jr — who are enjoying early success.
And as one of the healthy veterans on this team in the early portion of the season, he’s taking it upon himself to make sure the team stays upbeat after three close games and a pair of losses to open the 2018-19 season.
“It’s a great responsibility. I want to embrace it,” Dragic said. “This is my 11th year in the league. Those guys are doing fine. I’m just there to give them support and try to be a calm guy because certain times in games, there’s craziness going on. I just want to be there for them.”
Dragic has been there for them on the court, too. He’s averaging 18 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. He already has two 20-plus point performances and was vital early in the Heat’s second-half rally against the Hornets that ultimately fell short on Saturday in the 113-112 loss.
After Miami went down by 26 points with seven minutes left in the third quarter, Dragic scored 13 points and assisted on another pair of baskets to close out the quarter. Miami outscored Charlotte 26-4 in that span. He finished the game with 20 points, 18 of which came in the second half.
“You can bank on what he does virtually every single night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s why he’s an All-Star and one of the best point guards in our league. He can do it with different kinds of teams, different kinds of style. He’s a model of consistency.”
Breakdown on defense
Spoelstra and the Heat prides itself on being one of the better defensive teams in the league year in and year out.
Three games into the 2018-19 season, though, Miami’s defense is sitting around the middle of the league at best depending on the metrics.
As of Monday afternoon, the Heat ranks 11th of 30 teams in defensive rating (106.5), which measures the amount of points a team would be expected to give up for every 100 opposing possessions.
As far as individual stat rankings, the Heat has mixed results.
The good: Miami is tied for fourth in blocks per game (7)
The OK: Miami is 11th in opponent average fast break points (13.3) and tied for 13th in opponent average points in the paint (47.3).
The bad: Miami is 26th in opponent average second-chance points (18.3) and 29th in opponent average points off turnovers (25.3)
“There will be a top five one way or another,” Spoelstra said. ”It doesn’t matter what the pace is. It doesn’t matter how the league is playing. It doesn’t matter how the officials are officiating. There will be five of the best teams out there.
“We hope to be one of those.”
Injury update
Whiteside (groin), Jones Jr (foot) and Udonis Haslem (illness) did not practice Monday. Justise Winslow and Wayne Ellington worked out on the side with the intent to practice Tuesday. James Johnson (hernia surgery) was a full participant in practice but is not expected to play on Wednesday against the New York Knicks.