Miami Heat: The return of Goran Dragić and Derrick Jones Jr. will be huge
After another close loss at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, most of Miami Heat Nation is on the “Tank Train,” but in the words of the famous mascot head dawning Lee Corso, “not so fast.”
The Miami Heat now sit in 10th place in the East, behind the Orlando Magic, but there is a reason to be optimistic about them still sneaking into the 8th seed at least — perhaps even a few reasons.
As harped on throughout the season, these same issues for this Heat team remain. The inability to score easy buckets, to hit big shots in big moments, and scoring, in general, has hurt them this season. The return of Goran Dragic and Derrick Jones Jr should at least help in all three areas.
When thinking about The Dragon, he is a solid floor general. He also is a very good shooter from the perimeter and could be a perfect complement to Justise Winslow as an off guard. This is assuming they make the wise decision, leaving Winslow in the role of the main ball handler. On top of his off guard abilities, he would, of course, be a great secondary ball handling option, as he has been the main option for the duration of his time with the Heat, proving his abilities as an All-Star in 2018.
This could be great for the team as a whole because they don’t have that many point guard options behind Dragic and Winslow. This would also be great for Dragic as an individual player, as not having to be the main guy handling the ball would free him up to be a shot creator and shot maker while playing alongside Justise.
Dragic also excels in the open floor. He creates havoc in transition off of rip and run rebounds or by steals and deflections. Hopefully, the emergence of Justise as a ball handler will allow Dragic to slot in and convert some of the big shots the Heat desperately need in clutch moments.
The return of Airplane Mode, Derrick Jones Jr., also offers something to be hopeful for. He excels in the dirty work of the game, hustle plays, easy second-chance buckets, and making plays in transition with his elite athleticism. He has a knack for crashing the offensive glass, which often times leads to putbacks for buckets.
He is a supreme transition option and should pair well with an open court demon like Goran Dragic. Dragic’s intensity and the electricity that Derrick Jones Jr. can provide should give this team the necessary jolt they need down the stretch in this second part of the season. This should at least help them charge their way to the 8th seed.
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The return of this pair should also free others to be better versions of themselves as well. This means that some of the extra responsibility taken on by Justise Winslow, J Rich, D-Wade, and others will be relinquished back to these two. This can only be a positive as it allows everyone to be more efficient in their shots, energy, and overall play. Hopefully, it’s just enough to help the Heat secure a playoff berth.