Miami Takes a Bold Gamble: Can Dru Smith Defy All Odds After Devastating Achilles Injury?

Smith’s recovery is reportedly going so well that there is optimism he will be ready for the start of the NBA season. Smith is going to have to earn rotation minutes on a team that is expected to start Tyler Herro and Norman Powell at the guard spots, with Terry Rozier and just-drafted Kasparas Jakucionis in the rotation behind them.

Miami is bringing the restricted free agent Smith back for this season and hoping he stays healthy.Dru Smith’s perseverance has won him a lot of fans in the Miami Heat front office. The Heat liked him enough that right as the 2023-24 season was starting, they converted his two-way contract to a regular one, but then he ended up missing most of that season with a right knee injury (and was waived at the trade deadline). Smith bounced back and signed another two-way contract with the Heat for last season and in 14 games with the big club averaged 6.2 points a game off the bench as a sniper from 3 and strong on-ball defender, then in December he tore his Achilles and missed the remainder of last season. Smith is Miami’s 14th contract. It’s interesting that after the reports of reserve big men working out for the team recently — Kai Jones and Trey Lyles — and now will enter the season with just Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware as centers on the roster.It’s something of a comeback tale — almost a saga — this story of Dru Smith and the Miami Heat. The Heat front office clearly sees something special in him; enough to turn a two-way contract into a full one before the 2023-24 season even got underway. Trouble is, fate wasn’t exactly on his side, with a knee injury casting a long shadow over much of that season and leading to his waiver at the trade deadline. Yet, Smith isn’t the type to stay down. After re-signing another two-way deal, he managed to flash his sharpshooting and tenacious defense in 14 games — before fate struck again with an Achilles tear sidelining him for the rest of the year. Now, as Miami reins him back in with a three-year contract—only fully guaranteed for the first year—hope springs anew. There’s buzz that his rehabilitation’s on track for a season start, but the guard rotation is tight, featuring Tyler Herro and Norman Powell, plus a fresh set of names battling for minutes. Meanwhile, Miami’s frontcourt depth remains thin, which adds another layer of intrigue to how this roster shapes up. It’s a rollercoaster, no doubt, but one that might just have a thrilling next chapter. LEARN MOREThis was announced as a three-year contract by ESPN’s Shams Charania, but only the first year is fully guaranteed. This contract is for the veteran minimum, worth a total of .9 million if he plays all three years of the deal.