Why Dru Smith's start to season should not go unnoticed

Dru Smith Heat — (Mandatory Credit: AP Photo/Butch Dill)

You could barely count on one hand how many times the Miami Heat have waived — and subsequently brought back — Dru Smith since the 27-year-old guard entered the NBA as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

Multiple injuries to his meniscus, ACL and achilles have prematurely ended multiple of his seasons. But Smith has continued to persevere, playing his way back into the Heat’s rotation at the start of the 2025-26 season.

In a recent column by The Athletic‘s John Hollinger, he listed Smith as one of 10 players around the NBA that people may not know, but should.

“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.”

Why Dru Smith’s start to season should not go unnoticed

Smith has never played in more than 15 games in a single season, largely due to the aforementioned injuries. The 6-foot-3 guard is already halfway (8) to surpassing that mark (knock on wood).

His start to the season shouldn’t go unnoticed. He hasn’t lit up the box score, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t excelled in his role.

Smith is averaging 5.4 points and 3.6 assists on 47.4 percent shooting and 36.8 percent from 3-point range. So far, he has nearly doubled (27.2) his career assist percentage (14.2) heading into the season while being on pace to surpass his previous career-high in steals.

Smith doesn’t have the ball in his hands often, but he consistently makes the right decisions while continuing to be one of the Heat’s best point-of-attack defenders.

Admittedly, I was critical of the Heat re-signing him after his third major knee injury in four years. Despite their roster imbalance, that critique remains present.

However, Smith has been a key cog for the Heat through eight games, especially since he’s one of their only reliable perimeter defenders. He’s moving like he didn’t suffer an injury, which is jarring.

Maybe Smith doesn’t keep his spot in the rotation once Tyler Herro remains healthy. But don’t be surprised if that’s the case, given head coach Erik Spoelstra’s affinity for Smith.