At 32, Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic is as ready as ever for a new NBA season.
Last year, Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic came into training camp, fresh off of winning gold in EuroBasket via Slovenia.
Which of course, meant that he himself wasn’t the freshest, heading into 2017-18 play.
Things are different this summer though.
The 32-year-old is ready for the season in a whole new way.
"“I feel amazing. I feel great,” Dragic said this past weekend. “I think one of the smartest moves I made was retiring from the national team, because I feel energized and pumped for this season. I always kind of hit a wall toward the end of a season, but I feel like this season is going to be a totally different story.”"
Despite a busy offseason representing his native country, the veteran had himself a solid run nevertheless. He averaged 17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists over 75 total games, shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from downtown.
And, after earning league Eastern Conference Player of the Week accolades twice, he made his first All-Star team, as a replacement for an injured Kevin Love.
So just imagine what Dragic can accomplish this year.
He has already started to do so, hoping to keep himself in shape and his energy up, for not just 2018-19, but years thereafter.
"“I want to be at a high level for as long as possible. If you come into a season without goals, you’re just going through practice and it doesn’t mean anything to you. But if you set goals, you’re pushing yourself.”"
What are his goals? Basically just staying as consistent for the team as possible; all the way through the postseason.
"“I don’t want to drop a little bit at the end this season. I want to be energized, fresher, more consistent the whole way this time.”"
Dragic mentioning consistency still being his top priority after all this time, only proves how committed to the Heat he really is, given that he was undeniably the team’s single steady rock this past season.
Dwyane Wade‘s return probably serves as a nice motivator too though.
"“The band is still together. I’m very happy that I’ll be part of this last dance with Dwyane.”"
Ironically, when the point guard first arrived in South Florida, some were worried that he wouldn’t be able to thrive alongside Wade. And in the beginning, their rhythm was off, with Dragic loving to run the floor (and rest of the team) as fast as possible.
But eventually, they found their groove. And now Dragic views Wade as not just a mentor, but a close friend.
Which means he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure No. 3 gets the proper sendoff he deserves.
With some fans worried about the state of the team moving forward, they can remain secure in one thing: as long as Dragic is in the picture, the organization is in good hands.
Here’s to a great year 11 for the Miami Heat powerhouse.