Getty Goran Dragic, then of the Miami Heat, reacts during a 2021 bout with the Brooklyn Nets.
It appears the newly acquired Chicago Bulls Goran Dragic has some gas left in the tank.
On August 5, the 36-year-old unretired with hopes to defend the EuroBasket title with Slovenia. It was only an exhibition game but he got off to a good start. Alongside Luka Doncic, Slovenia beat Turkey in a 104-103 overtime thriller. Dragic finished with a team-high 28 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer that put Slovenia in the lead for good.
Down two with the game on the line, Dragic took it upon himself to initiate the offense, taking a wild step-back, high arcing three that hit nothing but nylon, with 18 seconds left in the game.
Give us overtime, our captain will give you this 🐲🔥🇸🇮.
With this game not being one that mattered, Doncic sat out the end of regulation, which helped ignite a Turkish rally. Doncic also did not play in overtime, and Dragic took over in the Batman role at least for one night.
The 2022 FIBA EuroBasket tournament kicks off on September 1, and Slovenia gets started playing Lithuania in group play. Slovenia belongs to Group B, which has been labeled as the ‘Group of Death’, along with Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany, and Hungary. Many NBA players are stars who will take part in Group B.
Bulls Did Not Want Dragic to Play in EuroBasket
Before Dragic officially announced his intentions to play for Slovenia, Dragic had to convince the Bulls to clear him to play.
“When I had a medical exam with Chicago and sat down with them, they said I’d rather not play,” Dragic said to EuroHoops. “I said I’d rather and in the end it’s the player who decides. I had to go to Chicago, undergo a medical examination, and everything else. When you go to a medical examination, you always wait for the results, because you never know what can happen”.
This should not come as a surprise. Dragic is near the twilight of his career, so the Bulls want him to be as healthy as he can for next season. Lonzo Ball’s track record of being hurt opens the door for Dragic to play in more minutes next season.
Bulls Could Use More Clutch Players Down the Stretch
DeMar DeRozan showed time and time again last season, that he could be counted on to take and make big shots down the stretch of crucial games.
Outside of DeRozan, the Bulls have gone to Zach LaVine down the stretch, but as the playoffs showed last season, they are going to need a lot more help offensively, if they are going to be legitimate contenders in the East.
Excluding the big shot he hit against Turkey, Dragic has a history of hitting timely shots, especially during his time in Miami.
Here’s a montage of some big shots that Dragic hit in the clutch over his seven seasons with the Heat.
The Bulls have been begging for more offense outside of DeRozan and LaVine, and Dragic could be the answer come next season. He may play sparingly to start the year, but Dragic could play a bigger role as the season goes deeper, especially with the propensity of so many Bulls’ guards to get hurt.