Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke highly about Dru Smith’s mental resolve this week. (Mandatory Credit: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
Miami Heat guard Dru Smith has been limited to just 23 games over the last two years due to two consecutive season-ending knee/lower leg injuries. But that’s not stopping the fourth-year guard from beating the odds so early into his NBA career.
You could argue that nobody in the Heat organization — at least publicly — is a bigger fan of Smith than head coach Erik Spoelstra, who spoke glowingly about Smith’s recovery earlier this week.
“What [Dru Smith] has is a superpower,” Spoelstra said earlier this week. “I wish you could take some of that, and just apply it to other players. When I say superpowers, it’s a level of grit, a level of fortitude, perseverance. However you want to describe it, he has no quit in him. He’s just absolutely relentless with his approach every day. He does not get discouraged. I’m sure he does, he just never shows anybody. But that’s the attitude, the mindset, that’s allowed him to fast-track the process.
“We want to be mindful of that. I don’t want to fast-track it, but in terms of where he’s at right now, we want to keep making sure he’s progressing. … We all love it because he inspires other guys. They see what he’s doing. They see the toughness.”
Erik Spoelstra speaks about Dru Smith’s “superpower,” his recovery process and how they will be “mindful” about his work. Also mentioned how the contract was “well earned.” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/DKiOJqfdtU
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) September 30, 2025
Smith, 27, appeared in 14 games — one shy of his career high — before rupturing his achilles in December.
He was playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 50.8 percent shooting, knocking down 16 of his 30 3-pointers (53.3 percent).
The Heat decided to bring back the 6-foot-4 guard in August, signing him to a three-year deal with the final two years of his contract non-guaranteed.
When he’s healthy, it’s easy to foresee him factoring into the Heat rotation as a secondary ballhandler and point-of-attack defender off the bench — especially if he can continue consistently knocking down open threes.
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