Goran Dragic Unlikely to Return for NBA Finals Run

Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic won’t be able to share his team’s triumph or disappointment in the NBA Finals.

The 34-year-old Slovenian sustained an unfortunate injury in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Goran Dragic tore the plantar fascia in his foot, an injury which keeps players out an average of 13 games.

It was a tough blow for Goran Dragic, whose path towards a potential title was long and blighted by injury. During the Conference Finals series, he told the media that he finally felt healthy after a knee injury last year.

Dragic joined the Heat in 2015 after spells with the Suns and the Rockets. His bench role in Miami lead to his first All-Star recognition in 2018. 

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“It’s not the easiest thing for me right now to sit on the sideline and watch my team – how they’re battling, how they’re playing well – and of course I want to be out there,” Dragic said Monday. 

“Most of the times I ask myself, I ask the guy above us why it has to happen right now. It’s tough. Try to look at this way: everything is with a purpose, so we’ll see.

“I want to be out there with my team. That’s no secret,” Dragic added. 

“That’s what I was working my whole career for 12 years in the NBA.”

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The Heat also lost star forward Bam Adebayo, who may make a return in Game 4 on Tuesday.

“First and foremost, I want to empathize and show compassion to Goran and Bam,” head coach Erick Spoelstra said. 

“I meant it when I said it yesterday: I can see it in their soul, through their eyes how much this means to them and how badly they want to get back out here.”