Dragic still leans to left, exploring right

MIAMI — Goran Dragic still leans left, but has grown open-minded to the possibilities of the right.

It has nothing to do with the political views of the Miami Heat point guard, either here or back home in Slovenia, just a goal, even at 32, to become a more complete player.

A left-hander with an uncanny ability to go left even when, for more than a decade, opponents have known it was coming, Dragic spent the offseason working on adding more right bite to his repertoire.

“Just to have more options,” he said, with the Heat’s preseason continuing with Wednesday’s exhibition against the New Orleans Pelicans at American-Airlines Arena and then concluding with Friday’s visit by the Atlanta Hawks before next Wednesday’s season opener in Orlando. “I already go right and step back. That’s already one weapon to go right. Then, the other weapon is I like to finish more with the right.”

Dragic already has shown a diversity of attack, last season averaging 13.7 drives to the left per 100 possessions and 9.1 to the right. But initiating even more from the right is an aspect he explored during the offseason with Heat shooting consultant Rob Fodor.

“I was doing that more with Rob this summer, just to give opponents a different look,” he said. “Most of the teams, they expect I’m going to go left. So if I give them the hesitation to go left, I can give a different move to stop and go right, to have more options.”

What Dragic said he refuses to accept is that you can’t teach an old Dragon new tricks.

“I think that’s going to be much easier for me,” Dragic said of previous ambivalence of being ambidextrous.

“At the end of the day, the older you get, you have to develop your game, because I’m not the fastest guy anymore. So I try to incorporate a little with my right hand. When I came into the league, I only had driving ability. I was not a good shooter at that time yet. It’s a long process in your career. I like challenges.”

Dragic said he appreciates opposing coaches will continue to shout “Lefty!” as he works with the ball, and that his bent will remain in that direction. But he said this time the goal is to explore all angles, nothing too liberal, but also nothing too conservative.

“I just want to develop a little more,” he said.

STREETER LECKA/GETTY Heat guard Goran Dragic is making an effort to not lean left so often with his offensive repertoire this season.