Heat guard Goran Dragic eases back into the flow after nine-game absence

Miami Heat's Goran Dragic had 18 points and eight assists against the Knicks in his first game back from groin injury.

The plan was to slowly bring Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic back into the rotation.

Coach Erik Spoelstra thought playing him maybe 20 minutes would help ease the transition after Dragic missed nine games because of a groin injury. When Dragic got off to a fast start in Friday’s victory against the New York Knicks, Spoelstra realized he was being a bit overprotective.

Dragic had 18 points and eight assists in 24 minutes. The acclimation process was faster than expected.

“If you could script it, this would be the type of the game,” Spoelstra said. “You’d want him to get about 20 minutes and be able to find his rhythm and get enough opportunities where he can build on this for next game. He looked sharp. I thought in the second half he looked even better than the first half.”

Dragic had been sidelined since sustaining the injury Nov. 14 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat were without their top two point guards for more than a month. Starter Justise Winslow is also out with a back strain. 

Dragic wasted little time to make an impact. Shortly after entering as a reserve in the first quarter, he connected with Derrick Jones Jr. for an alley-oop dunk.

“It’s always about rust if you don’t play for three weeks,” Dragic said. “I put a lot of work in. It was tough to see me late in the game. My conditioning, I was surprised was good but when you’re working out (alone), it’s tough to simulate a game … You need to get back and fit in with the system. It felt like I didn’t miss any games. Right away, when I stepped on the floor I had great connection with (Jones). They make my job much easier.”

Having fun at the game with ⁦@raf_tyler⁩ 😁😁😁😁 all smiles ⁦@MiamiHEAT⁩ pic.twitter.com/Sk8NJWHCJk

— Goran Dragić (@Goran_Dragic) December 21, 2019

While working out at AmericanAirlines Arena on the eve of his return, Dragic received a surprise visit from teammate Jimmy Butler. The two were able to catch up after not seeing each other for a week. Butler said it was his way of showing support.

“I missed G. I do,” Butler said. “The energy that he brings and obviously he can put the ball in the basket. Everybody loves being around that guy for a really good reason. He wants everybody to be great. He’s saying all the right things.”