MIAMI – As the Miami Heat beat the Phoenix Suns Saturday in the first game of this weekend's back-to-back, there was a plethora of impressive performances, with one being understated. While it was another bounce-back game for Heat star Bam Adebayo, it was also an impressive performance for two-way player Dru Smith.
Miami's second-round pick Pelle Larsson was out for Saturday's contest due to a right ankle sprain, so his minutes needed to go elsewhere as he has been a bolt of energy off the bench. Instead of head coach Erik Spoelstra bringing Heat's Nikola Jovic back into the fold, he decided to go with Smith, who played close to 30 minutes.
He would finish with seven points on three-for-five shooting, one for three from deep, to go along with four rebounds, one assist, and two steals. Though the box score doesn't scream an explosive performance, it doesn't tell the full story as he was active on both sides of the floor, which was mentioned to ClutchPoints by star Jimmy Butler.
“Yeah, he was aggressive on both sides of the ball, I like that,” Butler said. “More so on the defensive side, getting his hands on all the loose balls that were on the floor, getting there rebounding the basketball, and just making it hell for anybody that he's guarding. And then, obviously, he's a shotmaker. So he'll step in there and make some shots, too, I like that for him.”
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Smith was also tasked with guarding two dangerous scorers, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, in which there were many possessions where he was disruptive. The two steals he recorded would be stripping the ball from Booker, as he capitalized every minute received.
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on Dru Smith “winning the day”
Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) drives to the basket against Miami Heat guard Dru Smith (12) during the first half at Kaseya Center.
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Spoelstra would have a few phrases he repeats about younger players gaining minutes in “staying prepared to be prepared” or “attacking the day.” The head coach would say to ClutchPoints after the win that he encompasses that tenfold and “everybody roots for a guy” like Smith.
“He gets it, you know, that process that we talk about, winning the day, he does that every single day, every single session in a weight room, film session, player development, pre-practice, post-practice,” Spoelstra said. “It's like his game seven, and it's not an accident that you're ready when your number is called. You know, we got a lot of guys already in this early season that have done that, have contributed, and that's what we need. Maybe tomorrow night, we need some more X factors. Who knows? We have a very good team coming in here. But you know, everybody roots for a guy like Dru because he's a relentless worker, and he's just about winning.”
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Heat's Dru Smith on staying ready and prepared to produce
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Smith has been looking for consistent playing time in what is a deep roster, but what is even more impressive is he had a frustrating offseason as the Heat guard was recovering from a freak accident where he tore his ACL in November of 2023. He put in the work to come back and be able to play productive minutes for Miami, as he told ClutchPoints Saturday night that this is what the team is all about in terms of “being prepared and ready.”
“I think we do a great job, just in this organization in general, of being prepared and ready,” Smith said. “All the guys, anybody that's been sitting for a little while, we're in the gym every day, we’re still working. We're still waiting for those opportunities, so I think it's a credit to this staff and this organization, just the guys themselves continuing to work.”
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“I think I've done a pretty good job of impacting winning,” Smith continued. “You know, it's not always gonna show up exactly in the stat sheet. It's not gonna be overwhelming numbers or anything, but I think I'm just trying to impact winning at a high level. So, you know, I think I like what I've been able to do so far, and just want to continue to get better.”
Smith has played in eight contests this season so far as he looks to play more, which could happen once again starting Sunday night in the second game of a back-to-back as the 10-10 Heat take on the Cavaliers.