Practice Interview: Delon Wright, Erik Spoelstra

Practice Interview: Delon Wright, Erik Spoelstra

Since you were 12 yeah Andy was talking last week about the memories of you from around up here as a kid what what is this full circle moment kind of feel like to you yeah like you said uh you know I remember I was up here with like

Shaq kids uh little Timmy Lil GP uh Alonzo’s son you know we just up here playing around uh not even watching the game just up here just shooting why the games going on uh and then to be here now is just crazy uh you know I

Wish that I was here earlier in my career you know was a you know obviously growing up watching my brother watching D way I just I already knew about the heat culture and what to expect so uh you I’m just happy that I’m finally here uh you know just one of those surreal

Moments did you have other options or was this the one you much locked in on yeah no this the one I locked in on uh it was some interest from other teams but um this is probably the best opportunity for me to to play and uh

Help help a team you know reach the get into the final again what kind of role do you envision for yourself coming in here knowing this roster knowing who you are and what you can be yeah just same as I’ve always played uh being the defensive guy um you know bringing the

Ball up just getting guys involved letting them you know do their thing and me just kind of playing off of them that’s pretty much you know how this this system works you know a lot of ball movement and um just finding your spots your game and the way they like to play

The fact is you’re a defense first player have most your career deflections things like that do you see your game as almost this system I can just get right into because it’s innately what I do yeah you know I’m excited because you know obviously playing as a heat uh they

Cause a lot of Havoc uh you know guys are running all around getting deflections just uh playing off of each other and that’s the way I like to play I like to play uh freely on defense uh obviously within the system but um just playing uh offer your teammates and uh

Just trying to get deflections and play transition familiar with the franchise but like this is your first mind practice was there any surprises for you or is there any take for you from first practice uh no surprises um yeah it was just you know learning the different

Terminology uh guys or other teams run the same you know things but uh you know just changing up the terminology which is it’s going to take me a while to you know switch from the previous teams I’ve been on uh so you know I think it’s

Going to be easy fit for me um um I’m going study the Playbook study with Coach Wayne um and just you know figure out what I need to figure out is it weird to from teammate not really because uh when I was playing with him he was you know

Later in his career he was one of those guys that was helping out helping out the younger guys helping out guys like me um so I mean it’s not not not too weird definitely uh playing two minutes three minutes uh on a team that’s not really

Trying to win to now uh play for something um yeah I’m definitely re-energized I’m just ready to ready to play ready to to compete um that’s the best way I can explain it uh you know I’m just excited it’s Miami like you know I’m excited outside of a need on

The roster maybe getting a chance to play here what what else appeal to you about Miami I don’t just just how long uh I’ve known everybody here a lot of people here uh you know if I want to transition in the middle of a season Miami was probably

The best place to do that uh for obvious reasons um and just the the culture here uh you know it’s so many things I can say but uh you know that’s the best way I can explain it right now just it’s Miami need that they retired your

Brother sh even though for Chris yeah it’s a little weird sometimes seeing him in know number one Jersey my brother so I’m like they retired Chris but um you know he he’s probably more excited than I am which says a lot um you know he’s I

Think he’s going to try to come down here one of the first few games he probably hasn’t really been in Miami besides when he came to ud’s uh retirement probably in a while so um you know he’s gonna he’s going to be excited and cheer me on that first conversation

Like decision so when he was just down here for ud’s uh retirement he was uh you know him and a few other Q Rich um they were telling SPO and I think Pat like y y need to trade for D this is before the deadline y need to trade for

D like he’ll fit perfectly and um you know I was like yeah I would do it you know I wouldn’t I wasn’t against it but um once the buyout opportunity came um you know we talked about it he was like yeah it’s a no-brainer like it’s time to

Go like we got to go do this so um he was pretty much the one that that jump started everything so uh you know he was that’s his idea guys talked a lot about your impact in that that Hawk series a few years ago what do you remember from

That series or what Stoke out to you about the C so similar situation um with Atlanta I wasn’t really playing as much um the last 10 games coach threw me out there more to cause havoc and then I kind of transitioned right into that role right in the playoffs he was like

Yeah you’re on Tyler so um try to make you know uh you know life as as difficult as possible so uh yeah I feel like that’s similar situation here um we’re going to be throwing on some guys to try to make a difficult for them and

You know that’s just what I you know hang my hat on thank you appreciate you all and what do you think he might deliver well we feel fortunate that we were able to um acquire him um on a bu out um you know he has a skill set that

Just fits us and uh we’re all very familiar with him I I guess I’ve known him since he was 12 uh you know it’s it’s um that’s crazy how fast time is going U somebody had just mentioned it uh yesterday in the office uh that they

Didn’t realize he was 31 and then we’re like yeah well we had derell 20 years ago and then you know he was 10 12 uh at that time and it’s like wow man that’s uh that just shows you time’s flying um but his defensive skill set

Fits for sure uh he’s a very good playmaker he can set up offenses uh he likes to get guys involved Wayne played with him into Detroit he one of his favorite teammates um and he’s a veteran you know so to be able to get somebody

That’s played uh is in shape uh that you can add to your rotation at at this time of year without having to make a trade um you know I think is a a big add-on um so we’re excited about it I know that’s not why godhead necessarily but how deat

Is that full circle that he gone from the kid I know here it it really is aming during ud’s uh week uh at his dinner you know bumped into Q rich and I was sitting at the table next to Durell the whole time and Q is the one that

Brought it up he’s like oh D would be a great fit with you guys when is this going to happen you know this off season next year whatever you got you got to think about adding him then derell all of a sudden started chiming in then UD

Was like oh yeah was bring the kid in thought it was funny you know calling him a kid that’s just the way we all you know feel about him because we we knew him when you know he was he was so young um it it does feel like a you know full

Full circle deal uh in a different kind of way uh Durell and P Rich were one of the first people that texted me um so we think it’s a good Erica with Terry and Josh traveling is there an optimism there Terry and Josh traveling um yeah I mean we’re basically bringing

Everybody you know because um we also want Jeff Ruiz you know to travel and we figure that uh we’ll be able to get some work in uh on the road and uh we want to have our full staff there so we’re going to bring everybody

And and work um work through all of it and I’ll have more information as we get out on the road could either of them Possibly play on the trip considering it’s a week long yeah they could either could both of them Possibly play I don’t

Know about that I have more no say one no I think it’ll it’ll leave you guys something to to talk about I guess one last thing on that topic ter Terry seemingly was walking around W yeah was that encouraging yeah yeah for sure he

You know a lot of it was um you know a big scare uh you know it is something you know it’s a sprain so it’s not nothing but uh it all it looked a lot worse you know than than what it ended up being and he’s working through it

He’s had some very good days um here working with the staff um he’s making progress atanta series ago pretty clear I guess do you remember he’s a disruptive Defender yeah he’s he’s big but he moves his feet well so he can he can defend up a position uh but he’s really disruptive

On the ball you can guard the quicker point he’s done that his entire career uh in that series um he was lined up against you know our our studs um and a lot of that was against Tyler uh but you know he was he was one of their

Defensive Stoppers and you know he took on all those those challenges not only in our series but all all year long uh with that Atlanta team he was a guy they would put on one through four or one through three um whoever the biggest threat

Was yeah well you got to win really like look we got to defend offensively uh we have to play to our strengths which we know what they are at this point and we know what our identity is and ultimately uh you know the group we have to bring out

The best in each other if we want to compete for you know the toughest prize in this business uh guys have to maximize each other and it does require a little bit of uh a sacrifice and I use that term loosely ultimately when you’re competing for a title you’re not really

Sacrificing anything you know you’re you’re attacking something you’re going for something uh this is not about just guys trying to feel like perfectly comfortable and in Rhythm uh and getting all the the the shot opportunities they they want it’s about what’s best for the team um we

Have a lot of Versatility um we want to strike in all those different strength strength zones we we definitely have room for improvement offensively so I I think our guys are aware of that and um you know it’s made has brought a little bit more clarity to just everybody throwing

Themselves into how we can make this offense you know um better you know in the stretch run we don’t use that term you know I don’t know um I guess it would feel like we’re flipping the switch when to get out of preseason then after the first 10 games and next

There’s all these segments that you’re trying to uh maximize during the course of a season I think that keeps us on edge um but there are Peaks and valleys that that’s natural in an 82 Game season um you don’t want to succumb to that narrative but this is a fun time of year

Also I don’t want the guys not to enjoy that this is when it’s most competitive if everybody now is is fighting for playoff positioning you’re not going to face too many teams in these next 27 games that aren’t playing for something you know there’s less teams tanking more

Teams playing you know for playoff positioning um One Way or Another either try to get a home court or try to get out of the playin or try to get into the playin I think all of this is good for uh competitors and we have a bunch of competitors in our lock

Oh he’s been working he’s ready he knows his body he knows how to to ramp up and get ready and he was in a great Groove before that um now that he’ll be fine and we need him to do what we’re trying to do yeah

We need him uh not only back but uh in the mix and and doing what he does best all right thank you

Feb. 22, 2024 – Delon Wright and Erik Spoelstra address the media following practice. The team will depart on a four-game road trip, starting with Friday night’s game vs. the New Orleans Pelicans.

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