Three Miami Heat players who can make the All-Star Game
By Rob Slater
Goran Dragic
The point guard position is loaded in the East, there’s no denying that. Irving, Thomas, Kemba Walker, John Wall, Bradley Beal, Kyle Lowry and the list goes on and on. Goran Dragic is in that conversation and certainly held his own statistically.
But as we know with All-Star voters, impressive statistics rarely matter if they don’t belong to a player with name recognition. Dragic is one of the most consistent point guards in the entire league but you won’t see him on the cover of a video game anytime soon and he isn’t in line to play “Uncle Drew” after Kyrie Irving.
Dragic’s All-Star hopes hinge on the Heat’s win total to start the year. Much like Waiters, Dragic’s national stock soars exponentially if the Heat are in the top-three of the East by the All-Star break. Again, the Heat go as he and Waiters go and the same will be true this season as the backcourt duo return for another year together.
Looking at his competition, there is a chance he got a leg up on a few of his fellow East guards with some of the transactions this offseason. Both Irving and Thomas are heading into brand new situations with no telling how the fit will impact their numbers. Thomas could be overshadowed by LeBron James and Irving may have to split touches with Gordon Hayward. Charlotte and Toronto overhauled their respective rosters, meaning different scenarios and obstacles for Lowry and Walker.
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Maybe consistency will be Dragic’s saving grace in what could be a very uneven first half of the year for the Eastern Conference. If he statistically grades out as one of the best guards in the East and leads the Heat to a strong start, he’ll be worthy of All-Star votes. How many exactly remains to be seen and could take something extraordinary to overcome the wealth of talent that lies in front of him.