Goran Dragic has found his voice

The smile, both honest and freely given, is what you notice first.

Reporters come, one after the other, to ask Goran Dragić about Miami’s next opponent. The nervous energy that drives him relentlessly on the court needs an outlet, however, and so he adjusts the ice bag which rests just above the thickly-muscled calves that rarely stop running. Throughout each repetitive query, the bag twitches. But Dragić fields each question, even after a practice session that stretched well past its expected finish, and the easy grin always seems to find its way across his stubbled face.

Still, there’s something amiss in the smile. It isn’t disingenuous, nor is there a hint of camera-ready fakery. It’s just that the porcelain veneers, the result of losing teeth on three separate, on-court occasions last season, just seem impossibly glossy.

Among NBA trends, the current dominance of the point guard position is well-established. Dragić isn’t athletically-imposing — thin, narrow-shouldered, white — but he plays with a level of physicality that belies his appearance. After being struck in the face last April, Dragić reached into his maw for the loose tooth, showed it to a referee before flinging it to the sideline toward the Heat bench, and then resumed play as if nothing happened. To add insult to injury, Dragić was called for fouls during two of the three tooth-jarring instances.

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“It’s a physical game and I’m a physical guard,” Dragić told The Step Back before an early-March game in Orlando. He’s resigned himself to a whistle-free existence, even as he pays for his dentist’s next car payment or has his eye swollen shut, as he recently did when Toronto’s Cory Joseph elbowed past Dragić for a layup. But, still, why does it seem like he rarely gets a call in his favor?

“Maybe, it’s because, in my career, I’ve never flopped,” he admits. “I always liked the contact so maybe [the lack of calls] it’s because of that.”

He’s quick to point out he’s shooting more at the line this year (about 5.0 attempts per game, nearly twice as many as the prior season) but shrugs his shoulders as he says, “It’s all good.”

It’s certainly easier for Dragić to stay positive as Miami goes through a historically-good stretch of basketball, as they have since mid-January. The team limped through a disastrous 11-30 start to the season and has since won 21 of their last 26 games. The focus on locking up an early first-round pick in the upcoming draft has changed course to the possibility of a playoff berth. Dragić, the 30-year-old Slovenian rumored to be on the trading block just weeks ago, has been at the heart of that seismic shift.

Or, rather, it’s been Dragić’s incredible consistency which has given the Heat hope of another postseason. Miami has run through the gamut of dramatic storylines. The summer losses of Dwyane Wade to free agency and Chris Bosh to career-threatening blood clots. The injury to potential building block Justise Winslow. A 13-game win streak that is the longest in NBA history for a team with a losing record.

“I watch a lot of tapes, and figure out those angles, how to get a shot off.”

Credit for Miami’s turnaround should at least partly go to Dion Waiters, who has emerged as a clutch-shooting force of nature, as well as James Johnson, the poor man’s version of LeBron James that has lost weight while gaining millions in upcoming free agency for his versatility. Hassan Whiteside still struggles with offensive inconsistency but is a steady and occasionally dominant presence on defense. Role players like Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Rodney McGruder have greatly exceeded expectations.

And yet none of that might matter if not for Dragić, Miami’s best and most-consistent scoring threat, who is averaging career-highs in points (20.1) and rebounds (3.8) per game, as well as 3-point shooting percentage (42.3).

Dragić is in his ninth NBA season and third with the Heat, playing the best he ever has while somehow still flying quietly under the radar. He’s known mostly for his speed, yet somehow ranks 18th in fast break points, a category led by Oklahoma City’s explosive Russell Westbrook. His perimeter shooting is undoubtedly dangerous, yet his 94 made 3-pointers ranks just 64th league-wide.

What he is, however, is a master of tight spacing, even with a listed height of 6-foot-3-inches. 538.com’s Chris Herring wrote recently of Boston’s Isaiah Thomas, the diminutive guard who is among the league’s top scorers while completing nearly 60 percent of his shots around the rim. Dragić, by comparison, makes an astounding 62.2 percent of his shots from 0-3 feet away from the rim, a slight dip of his career average of nearly 67 percent from this range. Dragić isn’t as quick as Thomas nor as strong as Westbrook, yet relies on savvy borne out of necessity.

“Back in Europe, when I was young, I was faster than everybody else and it was easy for me to get inside the paint,” explains Dragić. “Usually, I just finish over the defender, because there was not so many athletic guys that could challenge me at the rim. But then, when I came to NBA, I had some problems at the beginning because some of those guys were blocking my shots. I had to…I watch a lot of tapes, and figure out those angles, how to get a shot off.”

The result was a carefully-placed nudge at the right instant to ward off a defender. “When I came to Miami,” he laughs as he says, “they called me the ‘Iron Shoulder.’”

The shove is infuriating to defenders, who can often be seen arguing futilely with referees for a foul call. Perhaps it’s part of the give-and-take that has resulted in several bloody, uncalled entanglements for Dragić. He accepts it as a necessary adaptation, not unlike warding off a shot-blocker with an arm as a more-explosive player cocks back for a thunderous dunk. “It’s just the way how I’m playing. At the end of the day, you have three refs on the court so…but usually that’s not an offensive foul,” he says, and then adding with that familiar smile. “At least I don’t think so.”

“That I can look them in the eyes and talk and that I try to make them better. That’s the most important for me.”

Despite his efficiency in this one regard, the “Iron Shoulder” is just another tool in a full and often-ignored toolbox. Dragić is perhaps, both statistically and aesthetically, one of the best guards in the league yet is often considered second-tier among his peers. There are lingering perspectives from his Phoenix days that still define him, and nit-picking on defense that limits where he ranks among the position’s best. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra emphatically refuted the notion when spoke exclusively to The Step Back.

“He’s a two-way player,” said Spoelstra, paying the ultimate compliment from a coach universally considered grounded in his commitment to defense. “I think everyone in the league knows how impactful he is offensively, but his game has also grown now, the way he’s shooting the ball, the way he’s creating for others…but defensively, he’s much improved.”

Spoelstra doubled down by adding, “That narrative is old. If people are still talking about that, that’s a lazy narrative. He’s spent three years in our system now and he’s been very committed to getting better on the defensive side. You just have to see any of our games and you see that improvement right away.”

Dragić agreed that he’s grown since his time with the Suns and feels he’s improved in every aspect of his game. But he didn’t want to focus on where he ranks among the position’s, and the NBA’s, best. “Ah, you know. I…I’m just doing my job,” he explained. “No. I’m not worried about that. That’s for the people who…who are paid to do that. I feel like personally, I’m…I’m up there. I compete at a high level. I have the good numbers.”

There was some reluctance from Dragić to consider how he’s viewed among the game’s top guards. Instead, he revealed what matters most as he becomes one of Miami’s undisputed leaders, both on and off the floor. “It’s about…for me, the most important thing, is that my teammates, they respect me. That my teammates, they trust me. That I’m a good teammate. That I can look them in the eyes and talk and that I try to make them better. That’s the most important for me.”

“You know, he’s become a better everything, a better basketball player, a better person, a better leader.

The numbers may have been consistently solid throughout his career, but the leadership role is new to him. In Phoenix, there was always Steve Nash and Grant Hill, two Hall-of-Famers that Dragić cites as some of his biggest influences. Then, there was Wade and Bosh in Miami. Dragić was simply expected to compete, to produce, and then retreat quietly to the shadows. Aside from his natural stoicism, a language barrier was an obvious obstacle. For a man that regularly conducts interviews in Spanish, Slovenian and English, communication with teammates could be a challenge.

Now, with Wade and Bosh gone, Dragić concedes, “I felt like it was the right time to step in.”

Leadership in the occasionally hyper-masculine world of professional athletes is hard-earned but Dragić took the necessary steps, learning to walk before he could yell. Spoelstra broke down the transition.

“He’s really grown into a leadership role that’s required of him this year. It’s different than the last two years that he’s played for us. He’s embraced that. It’s forced him to be uncomfortable, to be louder than he’s been in the past. But he’s an absolute pro’s pro. That’s what you love about Goran. And he’s proving now that he’s a winner. He can shoulder all the responsibilities for your organization and help you win.”

The signs are there if you take the time to spot them, like when Dragić tries to get through to younger players still finding their way. During this particular shootaround, it was Josh Richardson, struggling as he works his way back from injury, who got a consolatory arm swung around his shoulder.

There’s the unlikely partnership he’s formed with Waiters, too, as evidence. They’ve taken to referring themselves as “7-11”, their respective jersey numbers. The asphalt courts of Philadelphia couldn’t be further from the Slovenian hardwood that forged Dragić, yet they’ve found a common ground that’s led to success for them both.

And he’s often the calming voice that tries to connect with Whiteside, still fighting perception as a hot-headed malcontent that couldn’t find work in the NBA just three years ago. Whiteside was lumbering toward the team’s bus when asked about Dragić, but slowly pulled back a hooded sweater and beamed at his mention. “Oh…I love Goran. I love him,” he said. “We’ve been building a better chemistry throughout the year so things have been great. You know, he’s become a better everything, a better basketball player, a better person, a better leader. And he’s just improving every day.”

It’s the kind of quote that show’s Dragić’ emphasis on team-wide acceptance has proven worthwhile.

This season could still potentially play out badly, as some critics contend. A playoff spot with a ragtag roster and no legitimate chance at title contention could be viewed as an empty consolation prize. Conversely, a chance at drafting a potential star seems less likely with each dramatic win. The worst-case scenario, a mid-round draft selection and falling just short of the postseason, remains a real possibility.

Yet, there’s also the chance that Miami has found a way to build an unlikely core that could be a player or two away from long-term excellence. A championship is always a mathematical improbability, especially in the Eastern Conference with LeBron James defying his age and the odds in Cleveland. Instead, Miami can focus on winning more often than they lose, with Dragić leading the way.

The team has bonded strongly and the vibe around the locker room is jubilant and light-hearted. There’s also a business-like approach that clicks into place when they lock arms through the national anthem prior to each game. What started as a mild form of protest has become a unifying symbol to fight past adversity, as well as the critical voices clamoring along the periphery. Each unlikely victory is a reflection of Miami’s well-established culture and the guard that perhaps embodies it best.

Dragić glowed most brightly when describing how his wife and children have finally fit into South Florida. Knowing where to go. Finding friends to share the good times with. The kind of things that many of us might take for granted, like finally being comfortable enough to speak loudest in a room full of teammates.

And you can see it best in a gleaming-white row of porcelain that lets you know it all worked out and things will be just fine.