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Heat’s Dru Smith out for season with ACL sprain; Duncan Robinson sidelined with thumb injury

ira winderman, south florida sun-sentinel
·6 min read

NEW YORK — The Miami Heat’s depth at point guard took a concerning hit Friday when it was announced that the misstep by point guard Dru Smith during Wednesday night’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers has been diagnosed as a season-ending third-degree ACL sprain in his right knee.

The result of the MRI scan taken in New York ahead of Friday night’s game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden leaves the Heat with Kyle Lowry as the only true point guard remaining on Erik Spoelstra’s roster.

Also undergoing a scan Friday was guard Duncan Robionson, who was ruled out for Friday’s game with a sprained right thumb. He is listed as day-to-day, with the Heat’s next game Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets at the close of a five-game trip.

Robinson had been starting in place of Tyler Herro, who remains sidelined by the Grade 2 ankle sprain sustained in the Nov. 8 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies,

Herro had been playing as a primary ballhandler prior to his injury. Now, with Smith out, it leaves Josh Richardson, a career combo guard, likely having to play more frequently at point guard.

The Heat also have the option of utilizing Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Caleb Martin as playmakers and ballhandlers.

Among veteran point guards who remain available are former Heat guard Goran Dragic, as well as John Wall, Austin Rivers and George Hill

Another option could be former Heat guard Jamaree Bouyea, who was cut this week from a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, returning to the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Smith left Wednesday night’s game after just 81 seconds of action, after a second-quarter misstep while attempting to defend a corner 3-pointer by former Heat forward Max Strus.

The court at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is elevated, creating a ledge beyond the sideline.

“It is a dangerous floor,” Spoelstra said in the immediate wake of the injury. “I don’t know the history of injuries here. But we’ve had a couple scares in previous years when guys are closing out in that corner. Thankfully, nobody has been injured before. But it’s an accident waiting to happen. You close out and then all of a sudden you’re going off a cliff.”

Spoelstra added, “It’s really unfortunate for an effort play. If the court was normal, I think there wouldn’t have been any kind of incident.”

Smith is playing under a partial guarantee of $425,000, although the injury could add additional salary to the Heat’s ledger.

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Swider arrives

With Robinson suffering his injury Wednesday, forward Cole Swider stands as a fill-in 3-point option.

On a two-way contract, Swider spent the past week in the G League with Sioux Falls, where he shot 50% on 12.7 attempts per game in his three-game stint.

“It’s a good thing that Cole has been playing and was able to log a bunch of minutes in our system, so we all feel very comfortable with him,” Spoelstra said.

Having spent last season on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, Swider said he was comfortable transitioning between the two leagues on short notice.

“I think going back to Sioux Falls was great,” he said. “I was able to play three full games and really get in the trenches with that. So it was great to go there. Now I feel like I’m in a rhythm and ready and able to go.”

With Swider playing with Heat players Jamal Cain and Nikola Jovic with the Skyforce, there was the feel of more than minor-league competition.

“Obviously, there’s nothing that can really simulate the NBA when it comes to Jalen Brunson and Madison Square Garden,” Swider said of the Knicks’ guard. “But the good thing about going down there is that we played against all three two-ways in Milwaukee and one assignment player. And then we played against Chicago with two assignment players and all three two-ways. It’s probably as close as you can get to an NBA-format type of game.”

More G League

Spoelstra at the morning shootaround explained the decision to send second-year center Orlando Robinson to the G League in the wake of Robinson going for 14 points and nine rebounds in 27:32 in Wednesday night’s victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Orlando, we want him to play, as well,” Spoelstra said. “You can see his improvement. And if we didn’t have so much depth in the frontcourt, you can definitely make a case for him being worthy of minutes in our rotation.”

Spoelstra said the move of Robinson to the G League will also allow the Heat to see Jovic with the Skyforce as a power forward, instead of solely at center.

“I’m sure Niko will like that,” Spoelstra said of the 2022 first-round pick out of Serbia. “He’ll be able to play his natural position. But it is important for him, Niko I’m talking about, to get enough experience at both positions and the differences. And there’s no better place than just get a lot of minutes and games in the G League for that.”

In addition to Swider, Cain, also on a two-way contract, was back from the G League.

“Jamal had been there for a little bit of time,” Spoelstra said of Cain’s five games with Sioux Falls, where he averaged 26 points and 9.6 rebounds. “We don’t want to keep him too far away from us.”

Adebayo’s hip

Adebayo on Friday addressed the bruised left hip that kept him out of Wednesday’s victory, the same injury that had him out a month ago in a road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, his only previous absence of the season.

“To force a game, it might set me back two or three games. The biggest thing is weighing your options,” Adebayo said of grudgingly sitting out in Cleveland.

A blow during Monday night’s victory against the Bulls forced the issue.

“Definitely something that happened in the Chicago game,” he said. “We’re looking to drive this thing, keep collecting these wins. So the biggest thing for me is be out there. But the best thing I can do is taking care of your body.”

Spoelstra said the area is padded, but Adebayo said there are limits of such hip protection while playing in the post.

“Just because, obviously, we set screens, we roll, we bump each other, we box out, we dive on the floor,” Adebayo said.