Q&A: Goran Dragic

Courtesy of Paul Coro

Question: How does your enjoyment of playing in the NBA compare to playing for your Slovenian national team the past two summers?

Answer: It's totally different. It's always nice to go back and play for my country. My teammates and I grew up together. But if I'm honest, the level of teammates back on the Slovenian national team is way different from here. We have a lot of better players here, so it's much easier for me. Over there, when I'm playing, everybody is so focused on me that it's really tough to play. You're always going to have three guards around you.

Q: Do you feel like the team has recaptured the spirit it had last season?

A: I have the same feeling, but it's still only the preseason. It is going to be way different in the preseason. Your poise is different. The way you prepare for games is different than the regular season. In the back of our heads, it's only preseason.

Q: Now that you have been a father for almost a year, how are you doing with that?

A: Mateo is messing around with me and his mom. He's at that age — 11 months — where everything is interesting. He's never still. He's all over the house. Luckily, we've got Uncle Zoki (his brother and teammate, Zoran) with me, and he can babysit a little bit. But I don't want to put pressure on Zoki. He's got his own things to worry about with the team.

Q: What is a key area of improvement for the team this season?

A:

This year, we need to correct those small games that we should win, that we're better on paper. We need to win those games. Last year, we gave away too many games, and then it's really tough to make the playoffs in the last four to five games.

Q: What are you missing without Channing Frye?

A: Channing is a great shooter. He can space the floor. He's a really good defender. Last year, he did an amazing job.

Q: Do you feel fresher than last season after getting back earlier than you did after European Championship last year?

A: If I'm honest, I don't know. To me, it seems like the same thing. But I'm not worried about that. We've got a great group of guys — Nellie (head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson), Tom (Maystadt), Mike (Elliott) and Adam (Annaccone) and all the training staff. They're doing an amazing job to get us healthy and help us recover as fast as possible. The rest is on us — how we eat healthy, how we take care of our bodies.

Q: What are you missing without Channing Frye?

A: Channing is a great shooter. He can space the floor. He's a really good defender. Last year, he did an amazing job.

Q: Do you feel fresher than last season after getting back earlier than you did after European Championship last year?

A: If I'm honest, I don't know. To me, it seems like the same thing. But I'm not worried about that. We've got a great group of guys — Nellie (head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson), Tom (Maystadt), Mike (Elliott) and Adam (Annaccone) and all the training staff. They're doing an amazing job to get us healthy and help us recover as fast as possible. The rest is on us — how we eat healthy, how we take care of our bodies.