After Donovan Mitchell Defends Cavaliers’ Court, Heat Guard Dru Smith Blames ‘Weird’ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse Design for Season-Ending ACL Injury

The Miami Heat clinched a dominant 129-96 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. However, an unfortunate event during the second quarter dampened their joy. Heat guard Dru Smith sustained a season-ending third-degree ACL sprain during the contest. Smith incurred the said injury while trying to contest a three-pointer shot from Max Strus. In doing so, he slipped onto the playing surface underneath Cleveland’s bench and over the ledge.

Smith was a key player in the Heats lineup behind Kyle Lowry, and their depth is bound to take a hit as a consequence of the unfortunate event. Despite various theories circulating on social media about the incident, Dru Smith attributed the loss to the unconventional design of the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, labeling it as “weird.”

Dru Smith opens up about the cause of the season-ending injury

In an interview with the Sun Sentinel, Dru Smith unraveled his version of the events. He noticed that the design during the walkthrough of the NBA court at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is unlike any other in the league. He recalled, “When I sat there to get ready for shootaround, just kind of thinking like, ‘Oh, this court’s kind of weird, the dropoff, just the separation between the bench and the court.’”.

However, he had no idea about the inherent risk of the space between the spectator sidelines and the court. “And when I flew by, my left foot landed and my right foot went between the chair and the bench. As soon as it happened, I knew what happened. I knew I just fell into that little hole,” said Dru about the exact moment it went downhill.

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As a result, Smith is now due for surgery. The only silver lining in the incident is that the injury ensured his salary for the season at $1.8 million, whereas previously there was only a $425,000 guarantee in place.

Donovan Mitchell defends the Cavaliers’ NBA court

While there is little doubt that the “weird” design of the Cavs court caused the injury, there are conspiracy theories going around on social media that there was a “hole” in place covered by a piece of paper that caused the slip-up.

Donovan Mitchell took to Instagram to set the record straight about there being a “hole” in the court. He commented, “Cmon yo there’s not a hole in the court 🤦🏾‍♂️” in a post that speculated the above-said theory. The Heat have expressed their concerns to the NBA. However, no formal complaint has yet been filed.

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