Goran Dragic Injury: Updates on Heat Star's Ankle and Return
Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic has not played since he suffered a sprained left ankle Nov. 10 against the Chicago Bulls. It is unclear if he will play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
Continue for updates.
Latest on Dragic's Playing Status
Thursday, Nov. 17
The Heat announced it has yet to be determined if Dragic will play against the Bucks.
Latest on Dragic's Practice Status
Thursday, Nov. 17
The Heat announced Dragic went through shootaround Thursday morning.
Dragic Comments on Recovery
Monday, Nov. 14
Dragic's Absence Delivers Another Blow to Heat's Offense
Dragic was a reliable presence in head coach Erik Spoelstra's starting lineup last season, averaging 14.1 points to go along with 5.8 assists per game during the 2015-16 campaign, though he was sidelined for two weeks in January.
Scoring was a problem for the Heat, who ranked 23rd in points per game, though they made up for it with one of the NBA's stingiest defenses. Dragic was one of the key reasons for their defensive prowess, posting almost as many win shares on that side of the ball (2.3) as he did on offense (2.4), according to Basketball-Reference.com.
However, points haven't come as easily for the Heat with Dwyane Wade in Chicago and Chris Bosh (blood clots) out indefinitely.
Losing Dragic for an extended period of time would likely have a profound impact on the Heat. They don't have a traditional point guard backing him up, which means combo guard Tyler Johnson could see more minutes as a floor general moving forward.
The Heat do have other players who can step up, but Dragic is the engine who makes everything go. He has to be on the floor for them to have an opportunity to reach their potential.
