Erik Spoelstra Calls Delon Wright Miami Heat's 'Player Of The Game' In Sacramento Kings Win
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra often talks about players' impact beyond the stat sheet.
The latest example of this testament was his praise toward veteran guard Delon Wright after the Heat's 121-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Wright ended his Heat debut with 13 points, five assists, and two steals. Despite 20-point performances from Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jaquez Jr., Spoelstra said Wright was 'the player of the game.'
"The player of the game for us in the locker room was Delon," Spoelstra said. "I don't think his stat line was spectacular by people on the outside, but he plays winning basketball. He guards, offensively he just has a great knack for knowing how to make the right play. [In] 35 minutes, didn't turn the ball over and made some big plays. The threes, but also the playmaking, and the free throws down the stretch were really important."
Wright reflected on his performance, saying he wanted to show out in his first game with ample playing time in nearly a month.
"I just wanted to come in and play like I know how to play," Wright said. "Take care of the ball, play good defense, and get deflections. I knew the rest was gonna take care of itself."
This display is certainly inspiring for the Heat's backcourt production, which has struggled with injuries and a lack of depth. Wright may be able to give the team the solid guard play they've been searching for. He embraces Miami's "next man up" mentality as motivation to continue this success.
"Going against the Heat over the years, I already knew what to expect," Wright said. "It's always the next man up. Whenever we played the Heat and they had guys out, the next person stepped up and they still played the same brand of basketball. I just knew coming in, I was just gonna try to continue doing that and play good team basketball."
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
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