Dru SmithMiami Heat · #12
Dru Smith is an undrafted, defensive-minded guard for the Miami Heat from Evansville, Indiana, who played college ball at Evansville and Missouri. After multiple season-ending injuries limited him to 38 games across his first three seasons, he stayed healthy in 2025-26 — appearing in 70 games as an elite perimeter defender who led the NBA in deflections per 36 minutes. He re-signed with Miami in 2025.
Dru Smith — the report card
Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.
Where Dru Smith stands
Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.
Dru Smith — every number, three levels deep
Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.
How the model sees Dru Smith
Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.
Dru Smith career stats, season by season
| Season | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 5 | 13.4 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .357 | .167 |
| 2023-24 | 9 | 14.6 | 4.3 | 1.6 | 1.6 | .455 | .412 |
| 2024-25 | 14 | 19.1 | 6.2 | 2.6 | 1.6 | .508 | .533 |
| 2025-26 | 70 | 16.3 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 2.6 | .415 | .295 |
| Career | 98 | 16.4 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
The Lab
Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.
Are the Miami Heat built to win?
Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.
The Ballad of Dru Smith
Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.
The beginning
An undrafted defensive stopper who beat back injuries — perimeter pressure for the Heat.
Turning pro
Drafted Undrafted, 2021 as a Guard.
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An undrafted defensive stopper who beat back injuries — perimeter pressure for the Heat.
Chapter
From Evansville, Smith earned First-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive honors at Missouri before going undrafted in 2021.
Chapter
A torn ACL (2023) and torn Achilles (2024) limited him to 38 games across three seasons.
Off the court
- Height
- 6' 2"
- Weight
- 200 lbs
- College
- Missouri
- Experience
- 4th Season
- Draft
- Undrafted, 2021
- Born
- Evansville, Indiana
- Age
- 29
- Jersey
- #12
Smith's story is one of resilience — an undrafted guard from Evansville who fought through two consecutive season-ending injuries (a torn ACL and a torn Achilles) before finally staying healthy and carving out an NBA role on the strength of his defense. His path through mid-major and SEC basketball built a reputation as a relentless, high-IQ competitor.
His identity is elite point-of-attack defense — a guard who leads the league in deflections and steals per possession, disrupting offenses without needing the ball. A strong college three-point shooter whose NBA jumper has come and gone, he profiles as a defensive specialist and depth guard whose value is tied to perimeter pressure and toughness, exactly the traits Miami's culture rewards.
A resilient, elite perimeter defender — deflections, steals, and high-IQ toughness.
Dru Smith — frequently asked
The questions people ask most about Dru Smith, answered.
