As teams start to convene and run their first practices, they expect their players to be fresh and ready to start the regular season. At this time last year, Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic was already exhausted.

Because he represented Slovenia while battling at EuroBasket, Dragic never got any time to relax from a long and draining season. In the second half of the 2017-18 season, it was clear Dragic was fatigued as his play regressed from an All-Star level in the first half.

This time around, Dragic skipped international ball, and he is confident that the time off will allow him to last through the 82-game season and play at a consistently high level.

Per Tim Reynolds of The Associates Press, Dragic proclaimed that:

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“I feel amazing. I feel great. I think one of the smartest moves I made was retiring from the national team, because I feel energized and pumped for this season. I always kind of hit a wall toward the end of a season, but I feel like this season is going to be a totally different story.”

Even after the second-half fade, Dragic still put together an impressive season. averaging 17.3 points and 4.8 assists per game, both higher than his career average.

Dragic is perhaps the most important piece on a Heat team that doesn't truly have any bona fide stars (though they're trying to get Jimmy Butler). Ballhandling duty falls almost entirely in his hands, as well as a good chunk of the scoring.

Now that he is fully rested, Dragic can look to improve even more and lead the Heat back to the playoffs in the upcoming season.