Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, or in recent years Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, up to Udonis Haslem. The Heat has made a specialty of finding among undrafted players profiles that have been incubated before becoming real pieces of the squad. Miami could well have succeeded once again, with Dru Smith. The full-back established himself last week in Erik Spoelstra's game plan and is gaining confidence.
Sunday against the Cavaliers, he experienced an evening like no other. Last season, Dru Smith was seriously injured on the Cleveland court, a complete rupture of a knee ligament which deprived him of the continuation of his “two-way contract”. But the Florida leaders did not hesitate to give him another chance this season, going so far as to be decisive against the Ohio franchise on Sunday. “ I think it's come full circle, it feels good to have these moments » was able to congratulate one of the heroes of the evening at a press conference.
Decisive against the Cavaliers to complete the loop
The 26-year-old played the entire fourth quarter against the Cavaliers, finishing as the Heat's top scorer over the period with 11 points at 4/6 including 3/4 from distance.
One action sums up all his impact coming off the bench: while the visitors are hanging on, with ten points and a little less than five minutes to go, Dru Smith takes a first, then a second offensive rebound from the top of his 1 meter 90, before hitting a 3-pointer in the corner.
“ That's the kind of thing he does » was appreciated by his coach, Erik Spoelstra, at a press conference. “ When you classify actions as winning actions, it's complicated because it can be an offensive rebound, sometimes a simple cut to the rim, a deflected ball, an interception, good defense, a turnover… Sometimes they are notice on the statistics sheet, but very often not. Dru's possession was one where everyone could say to themselves: 'That's winning basketball.' »
One of the “Duracell bunnies” on the Heat bench
A nice tribute for a player who doesn't even have a locker in his name yet in the Heat locker room, “two-way contract” obliges. However, the rest of the squad has already fully adopted it.
“ What is the reason that makes us win one after another? Dru Smith » reacted a half-amused, half-first-degree Bam Adebayo. “ Dru and Haywood Highsmith are like our Duracell bunnies. When Dru steps on the floor, he changes a game defensively. But it's not just in defense, they are there in the right place at the right time. »
Since his return to Erik Spoelstra's rotation on December 2, while the Heat were desperately looking for solutions to regain balance and consistency, Miami has won three of its last four games. And Dru Smith remains on two outings at 29 and 26 minutes of playing time, ahead of players who are normally more “established” like Jaime Jaquez Jr, Nikola Jovic or even Alec Burks.
| Dru Smith | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 * | All Teams | 15 | 11 | 40.0 | 26.3 | 100.0 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 2.9 |
| 2022-23 * | BRK | 10 | 9 | 41.9 | 30.8 | 100.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 3.3 |
| 2022-23 * | MIA | 5 | 13 | 35.7 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 2.2 |
| 2023-24 | MIA | 9 | 15 | 45.5 | 41.2 | 100.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 4.3 |
| 2024-25 | MIA | 9 | 16 | 48.6 | 52.9 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 4.8 |
| Total | 33 | 13 | 44.2 | 39.6 | 100.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 3.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
