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The more the Nets see of Goran Dragic, the more they are reminded why they wanted him in the first place — and perhaps why they might need him more than they realized.
His performance Wednesday night did not end up propelling the Nets to a win, but Dragic enjoyed his best game of the season.
The point guard did not have the greatest impact on the Nets’ loss to the Mavericks — a former Nets point guard, Spencer Dinwiddie, earned that title with the game-winning shot. And fellow point guards Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons are more important to the Nets. But Dragic has been solid and reliable, exactly what the unreliable Nets needed, in 10 games since signing on Feb. 22.
The 35-year-old began this season with the Raptors, then was bought out following a deadline trade to the Spurs. Dragic has had to play more than expected for the Nets because Irving has missed all home games, Simmons has not played yet, Seth Curry has missed three straight, and Cam Thomas recently has been limited by a back contusion.
On a team that needed decent guard play, Dragic shot 9-for-16 from the floor for a season-high 21 points with four assists and three rebounds against Dallas. He showed a burst that he hadn’t recently, getting to the rim at will and making things happen.
“I thought he was sensational. … He’s obviously a big-game player,” Nets coach Steve Nash, Dragic’s former Suns teammate, said, before looking ahead to a potential minutes crunch. “When we’re fully healthy, we still got Kyrie and Seth as well. It just depends how we share it around, how the game goes.”
Ideally, the Nets would prefer 20-minute bursts — which has typically been the case in road games, when Irving can play — from Dragic, an aging vet who sat for about four months of the season.
In the win over the Knicks on Sunday, Dragic was pressed for more than 38 minutes. He totaled 35:32 in the loss to Dallas.
Maybe his legs will regret it later, but the more he plays, the more he gets accustomed to a free-flowing offense, which he is getting a better handle on.
“It’s a different situation with Kevin [Durant] and handling the ball. … I’m more a pick-and-roll guy, but I’m getting used to it,” Dragic, who played in the Finals with the 2020 Heat, said. “It’s getting better. I still think I’m not where I want to be, but it’s going to come.”
It would come even quicker if Simmons’ back continues to bother him and nothing changes with New York City’s private sector mandate, which is keeping the unvaccinated Irving from playing games at Barclays Center.
Without another point guard, the nights of 30-something minutes should continue.
The Nets listed LaMarcus Aldridge as out for Friday’s game, which will be the sixth straight game he has missed. Nash has said the big man, who has a right hip impingement, will be reevaluated next week.
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