In a one-on-one interview, Dru Smith expanded on the importance of time away from game action for the Miami Heat and sticking together.
The Miami Heat have gotten extra time to be able to regather themselves, as a team and individually, with hopes of getting their season back on track. They started hot, but recently hit a bump, currently riding a four-game losing streak. It cost them a seat at the top of the Eastern Conference and has dropped into the Play-In Tournament slots. However, there's no sense of panic within the organization, but rather a relief with the recent opportunity to be refreshed.
After the difficult loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, in which the Heat blew a 16-point first-quarter lead, Desmond Bane went off for 37 points, including six three-pointers made in 38 minutes. The team has been off for days, with the next game being on Monday night, at home, against the Toronto Raptors. They've also taken advantage of the open opportunities to practice, improve, and come back to the court stronger than before.
Heat guard Dru Smith alluded to the importance of using the extra time to get sharper as a team:
"I think it's been good for us," he told Heat RoundTable. "It gives us a chance to really get in here, practice, and get some real time together on the court, not in game, try to get back to what we've been doing. It's just a little bit easier when you have a time like this."
Despite the lack of winning results in the last few games, the vibes have remained high, which is important to maintain when it's still an early portion of an 82-game season.
"We actually enjoy being around each other," the 27-year-old added. "We enjoy playing together. Our intentions are always in the right place. We just have to make sure that whenever we get out there, we're intentional. We're focusing on the right things and the rest will take care of itself."
One of the factors of the Heat's recent struggles has been the lack of three-point shots going down the hoop. In three of the four games, they've finished below 30 percent. However, Smith believes the looks have been good and it's only a matter of still attempting them.
"Just got to build everybody's confidence back up," he added. "Make sure that we're believing that we're going to make shots whenever we're taking them and continue to get the same looks that we're getting. The more that the energy picks up, the more we feel like we're all together, then the more shots start to fall."
Given the current state of the Eastern Conference, the Heat aren't far from regaining ground; it's only a matter of stringing enough wins together to re-establish themselves among the best and as potential championship contenders.
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