""Miami has been high on Smith for years, but he's never been healthy enough for long enough to display why the Heat feel so strongly," Hollinger wrote. "The interest in Smith comes at the defensive end, where he's an active, athletic defender - even post-injury - who makes up for his smallish stature for a "3-and-D" wing with hands and mobility and has racked up a career 3.6 percent steal rate.""
""Smith also has taken advantage of opportunities in Miami's egalitarian offensive system, using slashes to the cup to rack up assists and supplement his long-distance game (Smith takes half his career shots from 3). In Tyler Herro's absence, he's operated as the closest thing Miami has to a backup point guard.""It's been a journey for the 27-year-old Smith, but if he can stay on the court, he's in a position to deliver real value for the Heat: This is the first season of a three-year deal for the minimum.""
Dru Smith has been waived and re-signed multiple times since entering the NBA as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Multiple season-ending injuries — meniscus, ACL and Achilles — have limited him to no more than 15 games in any season. Smith returned to the Heat rotation to start the 2025-26 season and has played eight games so far. Smith brings active, athletic defense with a 3.6 percent career steal rate, playmaking through slashes in Miami's egalitarian offense, and spacing by taking half his shots from three. He is in the first season of a three-year minimum deal and averages 5.4 points, 3.6 assists, 47.4 percent shooting and 36.8 percent from three.
Read at Hot Hot Hoops - Miami HEAT NBA Blog
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]