Mavs' Derrick Jones Jr. Reflects on 'Great Teammate' Goran Dragic Amid Retirement

Among Dragic's various teammates who thrived playing alongside him during his NBA career was Derrick Jones Jr., currently having a career year with the Dallas Mavericks. Jones, who logged 141 games in his career including the regular season and playoffs with Dragic, both with the Heat and Bulls, called him a "great teammate" and credited him for helping him thrive playing the four and five early in his career. The competed alongside each other during a 2020 NBA Finals run that ended in a series loss against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Orlando Bubble.

"He was a great teammate. For sure was one of the players that helped me excel in my game when I was playing the four or five roles when I was down in Miami when I was younger," Jones told DallasBasketball.com. 

"Being able to play in the pocket and learn, learn that game a lot more. I mean, obviously getting all those lob passes from him, I was always happy being able to play with him."

While Luka Doncic did not play with Dragic as an NBA teammate, he thrived as a star duo with the Slovenian national team, with the height of their achievement being a 2017 EuroBasketball Gold medal. Dragic has been a mentor to Doncic throughout his basketball career. Doncic also shared his thoughts on Dragic's impact.

“It was an amazing run for him,” Doncic said Saturday. “I’m just glad I know him. I’m glad I played with him, and man, I learned a lot from him, especially about leadership in that tournament.”