Goran Dragic is not having the start to the season that many envisioned when he signed a $90 million contract.
Along with Dwyane Wade, Dragic was the Miami Heat’s biggest priority in the offseason as he briefly entered free agency. Though the Heat quickly re-signed the Slovenian point guard, they did so by signing him to a five-year, $90 million contract. In other words, the organization invested a lot of assets for a player they believe is very instrumental to the team’s success.
However, Dragic has had a rough start to the 2015-16 season—through the first eight games of the season, Dragic has averaged 10.1 points and four assists on just 42.5 percent from the field.
Before having a solid outing on Thursday night in Miami’s victory over the Utah Jazz with 14 points, Dragic had scored just four points on 2-of-10 from the field in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. One game prior versus the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, the 29-year-old scored just two points.
Despite his struggles, Dragic stressed that he’s not giving up:
“I’m patient. I was never a quitter. I’ve had some rough times in the past and even now I’m going through some rough times, but I’m gonna be OK. My teammates have given me a lot of support and we’re winning, so that’s the most important thing right now.”
While on the topic of why he’s struggling so much, the Heat point guard had a theory for why that’s the case:
“There’s not a lot of space. Usually when I play, I play with a lot of shooters. Right now every time I get in the paint there’s a lot of bodies. It may be that. But the system is great. Everybody’s touching the ball and the ball is going from one side to the other side.”
Thursday night’s performance from Dragic was a step in the right direction as he continues to find comfort and chemistry in the team’s offensive system.
While the Heat are having some team success during Dragic’s struggles, that won’t be the case in the postseason. It is absolutely vital that the point guard performs to his capabilities if the Heat are to advance deep in the playoffs.
Luckily, it is just two weeks into the season—Dragic will have plenty of time to find consistency over the next several months.
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