Dru Smith’s ‘superpower’ has suddenly made him important part of Heat rotation: ‘In Dru we trust’
The Miami Heat might have waived guard Dru Smith four different times after initially signing him as an undrafted prospect in 2021. But the Heat never lost confidence in him, eventually bringing him back each time.
The first time Smith was waived by the Heat came in 2021 just a few months after he went undrafted. Smith was on an Exhibit 10 tryout contract at the time, and the Heat’s plan all along was to release him in order to funnel him to its G League affiliate, where he could unlock his Exhibit 10 bonus.
The second and third time Smith was waived came in the following season within a month of each other. Smith began the 2022-23 season on a two-way contract with the Heat before he was released on Nov. 13, 2022, to open a two-way slot for Orlando Robinson. Then Robinson was waived on Nov. 25, 2022, to bring back Smith on a two-way deal prior to Smith again being waived on Dec. 11, 2022, to get Robinson back on a two-way contract. Smith then signed a two-way contract with the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 13, 2023, and spent the rest of that season with the Nets.
The fourth time Smith was waived came last season when he had already been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery in his right knee. Smith entered last season on a standard NBA contract with the Heat before being waived on March 6 to make room on its roster for the addition of a healthy and available player in veteran guard Patty Mills.
Then when the Heat had an opportunity to lock Smith into another contract this past offseason, it didn’t hesitate despite the fact that he was still rehabbing from knee surgery and had totaled just 83 points in 24 NBA appearances up to that point. The Heat brought back Smith on a two-way contract early in free agency on July 1.
“It has meant everything to me and to my career,” Smith said of the Heat’s confidence in him during the past three years. “They believe in me and just have continued to give me opportunities. I’m very appreciative. Always when I step out there, I just want to try to do my best to show that appreciation.”
Smith has done that and more lately, putting together the best stretch of his career during the last two weeks to go from a seldom-used player to an important member of the Heat’s rotation.
After playing in just five of the Heat’s first 18 games this season, Smith has logged double-digit minutes off the bench in each of the last six games and has played the entire fourth quarter in four of those games. It appeared that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was going to keep Smith on the court for the entire fourth quarter for the fifth game in a row in Monday’s overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons before he fouled out with 11.5 seconds left in regulation.
“When you find guys that just do winning things on both ends of the court over and over and over — that can be consistent to that — that’s a superpower in this league,” Spoelstra said of Smith, with the Heat (13-11) in the middle of another three-day break before hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. “Everybody is searching for that, but he’s kind of the glue that fits, and he can make any unit work — the second unit, the starters. So that’s that thing I say, make me watch, make me play you and then make me for sure not even think about putting somebody else in there.”
Based on Smith’s play during this six-game stretch, Spoelstra probably isn’t thinking about taking him out of the rotation any time soon.
Smith’s boxscore stats are solid but aren’t eye-opening. He has averaged 7.8 points, three rebounds, 2.2 assists and two steals per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from three-point range over this six-game span. But it’s the positive overall impact Smith has made through his quality two-way play that has lifted him into a bigger role in the Heat’s rotation.
The Heat has outscored opponents by 13.1 points per 100 possessions with Smith on the court over the last six games. Without Smith on the court, the Heat has only outscored teams by 0.5 points per 100 possessions during that span.
Most of that success has come because the Heat’s defense is simply better when Smith is playing, as the Heat has allowed just 96.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the court during the last six games for a defensive rating that would rank first among all NBA teams for the season. Without Smith on the court, the Heat has allowed 113.8 points per 100 possessions during this stretch for a defensive rating that would rank 19th among NBA teams this season.
“I’m trying to bring as much energy as I can on the defensive end, be disruptive and just try to make inspiring plays on the defensive end,” said Smith, who turns 27 on Dec. 30. “And also just take open shots when they’re there. I want to try to do a better job of getting guys easier looks on the offensive end, getting Bam [Adebayo] some easy baskets in pick-and-rolls, things like that. But mainly when I check in, just trying to breathe life into everybody and bring good energy and try to turn a couple games around.”
A more prominent spot in the Heat’s rotation opened up for Smith when rookie guard Pelle Larsson was sidelined by a sprained ankle earlier this month. Smith has taken full advantage of his opportunity.
Smith has already been trusted to defend All-Star caliber players like Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker during this six-game run.
“He’s just making the right plays every time down the court,” Adebayo said. “It’s both sides of the ball, that’s what’s really the eye-popper for Dru because he’ll pick you up 94 feet, he’ll battle in the post and then he’ll go on the other end and make crafty plays. Dru’s a great player for us. He fits the mold for us. He’s one of those guys who flies under the radar, doesn’t say a whole lot, but you see his impact on the court.”
Now, Smith could be promoted to a standard contract in the coming days.
After the recent trade of Thomas Bryant left the Heat with 13 players on its 15-man standard roster, the Heat has until Dec. 29 to add a 14th player to its 15-man roster because of league rules that prohibit teams from carrying fewer than 14 players on its standard roster for more than two consecutive weeks at a time and a total of 28 days during the regular season.
Smith is the obvious candidate to fill that spot for the Heat because of how important he has suddenly become. Moving him to a standard contract would also make Smith eligible to play in the playoffs, as two-way contract players are ineligible to compete in the NBA postseason.
“We just need to get Dru out there,” Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. “In Dru we trust.”
Butler and the Heat trust Smith. That trust was on display each time the Heat brought back Smith after waiving him, and now Smith is showing why the Heat stuck with him through it all.
“I definitely think it probably would be different had I chosen somewhere else,” Smith said, thinking about an alternative universe that landed him with another NBA team after going undrafted in 2021. “I’m just really appreciative of every opportunity that I’ve gotten.”
