Nothing much happened in terms of off-season player movement for the Miami Heat. It’s essentially the same team coming into the 2017-18 NBA season, with minor additions in big men Kelly Olynyk from Boston and towering rookie Bam Adebayo.
What’s more interesting is the extra work that veteran guard Goran Dragic is doing in the off season. While the rest of the Heat players are enjoying their break, Dragic has led the Slovenian national team to the FIBA EuroBasket championships, a key contributor in both points and assists as Slovenia beat champion Spain in the semifinals.
Image source: sportsillustrated.com
We’ve already seen Dragic doing solid work as Coach Spoelstra’s go-to point guard, and with Dion Waiters and James Johnson on the rise as accurate three-point threats, there’s a good chance that the Heat might perform better than most NBA analysts expect. Of course, this is premised on the players sticking with Spoelstra’s system. After all, Miami already did a great job last year with its semi-ragtag bunch, winning 30 of its last 41 regular season games.
It’s been a while since Miami had the big three of Lebron, Wade, and Bosch. And it will take a while before such star power is seen in Florida professional basketball. But the Heat has the advantage of better gelling, better teamwork. As long as Hassan Whiteside remains healthy, and Dragic brings his stellar FIBA game to the NBA, it shouldn’t be a problem for the team to reach the playoffs. It’s unlikely that they can get past the star-studded Cleveland and Boston teams, but the Heat will surely give them a run for their money.
Image source: palmbeachpost.com
My name’sLarry Polhill, a graduate of the university of Florida. My volunteer work in several nonprofit organizations usually keeps me busy, but I’m into sports like basketball as well. For more on my hobbies and advocacy work, do subscribe to myTwitter
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