How Much Longer Can Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside Keep Heat Afloat?

MIAMI — The new-look Miami Heat demanded a strong on-court connection between Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic.

Not only does the pair comprise Miami's highest-paid healthy players, those two are the only ones who qualify as proven upper-echelon NBA commodities.

But the need for chemistry and the creation of it are two different things. The next few months could determine whether it's a longstanding base or a temporary bridge to whatever comes next. It's at least a solid footing for the 2016-17 group to build upon.

"Me and him have a great connection," Dragic said. "We work a lot. I feel comfortable playing with him."

That comfort has surfaced more frequently of late, a surge best captured by a discrete sequence midway through Miami's 114-103 loss to the New York Knicks on Dec. 6. Following a Whiteside steal, the 7-footer navigated a four-on-one fast break before no-look finding Dragic at the rim.

It was only Whiteside's 16th assist in 22 games, pushing his career assist percentage to a meager 2.2—fifth-lowest in NBA history (min. 4,000 minutes). But the fact that his weakness became a positive with the inclusion of Dragic highlights the rhythm these two have found.

Individually, their stats have sizzled all season.

Their combined 35.6 points per game constitute 36.6 percent of Miami's nightly output. With Dragic sitting 13th in assists (6.5 per game) and Whiteside holding the top spot in rebounds (14.7) and No. 3 perch in blocks (2.5), they're one of only three point guard-center combos with top-15 rankings in all three categories.

"It's me and Goran," Whiteside said of the Heat leadership. "Guys look at how we come out."

After a two-game absence for a strained elbow, Dragic has played his best basketball with the Heat. He's averaging 23.0 points on 48.1 percent shooting (41.2 outside), 8.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds over his last six games while recording his most points (29) and assists (17) in Miami.

For context, only perennial All-Stars LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and John Wall have averaged 23/8/4 this season.

"He's playing as high of a level as anybody right now," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's making so many plays. Intensity of play is a skill, and Goran has that."

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Not to be outdone, Whiteside has recorded at least 23 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks during four of the six contests. His 57.3 field-goal percentage has jumped from the 53.8 rate he reached in his first 16 outings.

"What I see is a more consistent Hassan Whiteside, a guy that's really dominant on more nights than not," former Heat assistant and current Memphis Grizzlies skipper David Fizdale said. "Last year and the year before, he may have had a few games where he wasn't 'Hassan.' But this year, it seems like every night he's been impacting the game at a high level."

But there's a catch to these contributions: They haven't moved Miami's bottom line.

The Heat's 7-15 record is the Eastern Conference's third-worst. Their minus-2.6 net efficiency rating ranks 20th overall, and the figure falls to minus-6.9 in the minutes Whiteside and Dragic share (would be 28th).

Those numbers have a lot to do with the supporting cast—and those beset by injuries—but that's part of the problem. The rest of the roster is built mostly with youngsters and journeymen. Even if Whiteside and Dragic are ready to win now, the rest of the squad isn't.

The Heat have committed to playing the long game with Whiteside, who inked a four-year, $98 million pact this summer. He's a young 27-year-old by NBA standards, having logged just 162 career regular-season games. His ceiling hasn't set, and Miami is positioned to watch it grow.

The question is whether Dragic remains in the long-term plans.

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The Dragon is 30 years old and in his ninth NBA season. While it's clearly one of his best—second-highest in points (18.0), assists (6.5) and player efficiency rating (18.5)—it's also a reminder he's playing in his prime.

Will his window stay open long enough for this roster to catch up? Can Miami afford to wait and see? ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported in October that Dragic could be dangled "if they get off to a slow start."

The Heat have stumbled out of the gate, though it's unclear what their breaking point would be.

Armed with a potentially high draft pick and gobs of cap space, the Miami could climb the East's ladder quickly if it aces the offseason. Having Dragic around would ease that ascent. But the margin for error is wafer-thin on both fronts if Miami hopes to contend next season.

Luckily, the Heat don't need to decide anything soon. Dragic's trade value shouldn't diminish between now and this summer, so the plug can be pulled any time management feels this isn't working.

For now, the Heat can keep clinging to the hopes created by this talented twosome.

"We don't want to get down too many games," Whiteside said. "But guys are not getting down on themselves, either. There's a lot of season left."

Heat Insider's Notebook

Walking Wounded

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It sounded like a joke when Spoelstra started his pregame media session before the Knicks loss by declaring his group was "nine strong."

But no one is laughing at Miami's maladies. Not only did the Heat have that few healthy bodies for the game, they brought the same group on their daunting three-game road trip. (And one of those nine is Dragic, who's nursing a shoulder stinger.)

Justise Winslow hasn't suited up since Nov. 14 thanks to a sore left wrist. He's since been joined in the training room by Dion Waiters (groin tear), Josh Richardson (sprained ankle), James Johnson (strained rotator cuff) and Luke Babbitt (hip flexor). Chris Bosh is out of the long-term equation with blood clots.

The Heat are down four of their top nine players in minutes and points per game. Considering quality depth looked like an issue entering this season, Miami's record could be even worse.

"I'm hoping guys get better," Whiteside said, "but I'm not a doctor."

Costly Freebies

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Miami is shooting a woeful 67.1 percent from the line, more than three points below the closest team (Atlanta Hawks, 70.4). If the Heat continue at this pace, they'd set a new low for franchise futility, replacing the 2004-05 iteration's 67.2 percent mark.

"We're working at it," Spoelstra said. "We're trying to get guys to improve a little bit each day."

There's no discernible improvement yet, and the trend is troubling for a few reasons.

For starters, this offense can ill-afford to leave points on the table. It ranks 28th in scoring, 26th in field-goal percentage and 24th in efficiency. During the Heat's 11 single-digit losses, they've been outscored at the free-throw line eight times and shot a lower percentage in all but one.

And this looks more like a roster flaw than misfortune.

Udonis Haslem has the highest career free-throw percentage at 75.7, which would rank 90th among qualified shooters. Winslow, Richardson and James Johnson all have career percentages below 70, while both Whiteside and Willie Reed are on the wrong side of 60.

Wayne's World

When news broke of the Heat signing Wayne Ellington to a two-year, $12 million deal this summer, many in their fanbase may not have reacted at all. Those who did surely didn't think, "Hey, here comes our No. 3 option."

Yet, here we are with the eight-year veteran sitting third (on his seventh NBA team) at 15.5 points per game. The three-point specialist has proved potent and threatening enough to goose an offense that was desperate for a sniper to draw attention away from Dragic and Whiteside's two-man game.

"Our [offensive] menu is as diverse as it's been all year," Spoelstra said. "We're not only pick-and-roll dominant, we now have the catch-and-shoot package with him."

The Heat's spacing has significantly improved with Ellington, though history suggests his individual impact may not be sustainable. His scoring average more than doubles his career mark (7.2), and his field-goal percentage sits six points higher than his normal rate (47.3, up from 41.3).

All quotes obtained firsthand. Statistics accurate as of Wednesday, Dec. 7, and used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.

Zach Buckley covers the Miami Heat for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.