“I just look at the situation,” Dragic told SheridanHoops. “If the opponent gives me an open three, I’m going to take the open three. If he’s close to me, I’m going to penetrate. If not, I’m going to take a midrange shot. It’s just reading the situation.”
Dragic admitted that he’s had trouble with consistency in years past, but not this season. Barbosa was on the Suns when Dragic was a rookie and may have more insight on his evolution as a player than anyone else besides Dragic himself.
“I remember exactly how he was,” Barbosa said in an exclusive interview with SheridanHoops. “He didn’t have the opportunity to play these minutes and he was just working and working and working.”
The Slovenian averaged just 13.2 minutes per game in his rookie season of 2008-2009 and shot under 40 percent from the field.
Dragic as a rookie wasn’t as aggressive as he is now, Barbosa said. “His role was different than what he has now.”
Dragic then averaged 18 minutes per game in his next two seasons as the backup to Steve Nash.
“And finally he got his chance, got traded to Houston and I guess in Houston he kind of had a green light,” Barbosa said of his February 2011 trade to the Rockets. In those few months of that 2010-2011 season with Houston, we finally saw some glimpses of what Dragic could really become. In 22 games, he shot 47.2 percent from the field and 51.3 percent from three.
“I think after that he kind of understood the game and since then he’s been kind of ridiculous,” Barbosa said. “He’s now one of the important men on the team and he’s taken advantage of that. Coach has a lot of confidence in him, and he’s proving that to everybody else.”
Dragic’s teammates not only know how diverse his offensive skillset is, they embrace it and become energized because of it.
“When he gets the ball, we all get behind him, kind of rally,” said Phoenix forward PJ Tucker. “Typically when he gets it going we’re a better team.”
Dragic likes to initiate contact when driving to the hole, getting up in the bodies of defenders and then either going around them or drawing a foul and getting to the line.
“If you look at some of the moves he makes and how good he’s finishing inside and opening up guys outside, it’s absolutely amazing,” Tucker said. “Every time he drives, you know he’s going to finish or get fouled. So just to be his teammate is amazing.”
Tucker said that Dragic’s drives and creativity is so unpredictable because Dragic may not even know himself how the play is going to end or what he’s going to do. And a lot of that has to do with his work ethic, Tucker said. “Goran pushes himself to try to get better and pushes our team. His productivity has gotten better every year since he’s gotten here. He’s continued to get better.”
Take a look at Dragic’s shot chart and his 63 percent shooting percentage from within eight feet, which is simply amazing for a guard.
Among players who have taken at least 300 shots from within eight feet this season, Dragic has the ninth highest field goal percentage and the highest among point guards. Dragic’s field goal percentage from within eight feet is higher than Dwight Howard’s, Anthony Davis’ and Al Jefferson’s among others.
All that bruising contact that comes with those interior attempts brings a lot of soreness, pain and fatigue and everyone knows it, but the team noticed Dragic’s toughness and resolve to fight through all the nicks, cuts and bumps.
“He’s beat up for us, he’s got some sore ribs,” Hornacek said. “But Goran’s the type of guy early in the season, he got flipped and landed on his head, continued to play through that game. How? I don’t know. He’s a tough kid and he plays through any injuries he has and every time I say ‘Goran, how are you feeling today?’ and he’ll kind of give me a half-truth ‘I feel okay, coach.’ When he says that, I know he’s hurting a little bit but he’s always ready to play when the ball gets thrown up.”
Barbosa, himself currently injured, is a big fan of Dragic’s fortitude. “He’s the type of guy that if he gets hurt, he’s going to step up and go forward,” Barbosa said. “I like the kind of effort that he has, and the strong mentality he has in those situations.”
Dragic said he’s been sore and tired all season after playing the European championships in his home country during the summer before going straight to training camp. Dragic credited Hornacek and the Suns’ legendary training staff for keeping him relatively fresh.
“Even when we have a practice most of the time I’m on the side to try to get better,” Dragic said.
And if this season is any indication Dragic has gotten a lot better and has taken his game to new heights, which manifests itself in his confidence on the court.
“He’s bringing that energy and that aggressiveness to our team and everybody is very, very happy about it for what he’s been doing so far,” Barbosa said. “His confidence is at such a high level that I think in his mind no one can stop him.”
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for SheridanHoops who loves advanced statistics and the way they explain what happens on the court. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. His website is SprungOnSports.com. You should follow him on Twitter.