Miami Heat: Dion Waiters is only scratching the surface

After bouncing around during the first few years of his career, Dion Waiters has finally found a home with the Miami Heat

Taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, talent was never Dion Waiters’ problem. Like many young prospects, it was finding a situation to suit his game.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Waiters, they envisioned a scorer next to Kyrie Irving, creating a dynamic backcourt. In doing so, they showed little concern over pairing two young and inexperienced guards who needed the ball to be effective.

Irving was a revelation in his rookie season as a ball-dominant guard whose game was predicated on breaking down defenses with his handle, shooting and finishing ability. Waiters is a guard who does most of his damage off the dribble, breaking down the defenses to get to the rim or work off pick-and-rolls to setup his pull-up jumper.

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On the court, the Cavaliers’ backcourt was like oil and water. Given Irving’s primary ball handling duties and propensity for pounding the ball, it became Waiters’ job to complement the Cavaliers’ young point guard by spacing the floor with catch-and-shoot three-pointers; which were never a strength of his.

In his second season in Cleveland, he shot 30.4 percent on catch-and-shoot situations, per NBA.com. So, he often reverted to pull-up jumpers, which were more comfortable to him even though he wasn’t particularly efficient there either – while 32 percent of his offense came from pull-up jumpers, he shot and abysmal 25 percent of them.

When Cleveland added LeBron James and Kevin Love, leaving Waiters relegated to an ill-fitting three-and-D role, he still shot 30 percent on catch and shoot situations, per NBA.com. He became an internet laughing stock as he waived for the ball while better teammates mostly ignored him before the Cavaliers traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

There, Waiters went to a nearly similar situation. He went from two high usage players in Kyrie Irving and LeBron James to two more high usage players in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who soaked up most of the offensive opportunities in OKC. And again, his role called for long stretches of off-the-ball duties, highlighting his shooting weaknesses.

During his first season in OKC, he shot 32 percent from three-point range and 30.4 percent on catch and shoots. And in year two, he shot 35.8 percent from three-point range and 38.2 percent on catch and shoots, per NBA.com.

Then, he found a remedy in South Beach.

The Miami Heat were retooling, grieving over the loss of their cornerstones in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, still in need of another playmaker.

Signed as little more than an afterthought, Waiters blossomed in Miami, averaging 15.8 points and 4.3 assists per game, hitting a career-high 39.5 percent from the three-point line. He was vital to the Heat’s success as one of the main driving forces behind Miami’s blistering 30-11 second-half record – he averaged 21.6 points, 4.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game over that time.

Overall, the Heat went 27-19 when Waiters played, posting a 109.7 offensive rating when he was on the court vs. 107.8 with him off.

He didn’t have to resort to catch and shoot three-pointers to generate points. Head Coach Erik Spoelstra’s drive and kick scheme allowed him to play his game – applying pressure on the defense-attacking gaps, creating open looks for his teammates, working pick-n-rolls that also benefited Hassan Whiteside.

This scheme made him appear as an ideal fit next to Goran Dragic, who’s game also predicates inside three-point range, creating a one-two punch that will attack your defense nonstop. Per NBA.com, in result of the Heat leading the NBA in total drives, (35.1 times per game) the only players who got to the rim more than Waiters (11.0 per game) and Dragic (11.9 per game) were Russell Westbrook, (11.3 per game) John Wall, (11.8 per game) Isaiah Thomas (12.7 per game) and Dennis Schroder (12.3 per game).

Waiters always adapted his game to help the team win, no matter the frustrations that came with him. He just wanted an opportunity. The Miami Heat gave him that and more. They didn’t just give him the perfect offense that suited him, but also the perfect conditional regiment that whipped him into the best shape of his career, which allowed him to take his game to another level.

And now, Dion Waiters has a four-year, $52 million contract as his reward. However, with such a big contract comes expectations. Waiters is now being relied on to take his game to the next level, working on his weaknesses – which include durability. Waiters only played in 46 games last season, his free throw percentage of 64.6 percent (which is embarrassing for a guard) and left much to be desired from an efficiency standpoint.

Must Read: Why the Suns, Bucks, and Nuggets shouldn’t trade for Kyrie Irving

Last season, he shot under 43 percent from the field while finishing 42.8 percent on his trips to the rim, per NBA.com.

Dion Waiters always had the talent, just not the right situation that pushed the all-star potential out of him. He has both of those variables now with the Miami Heat.

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Dion Waiters has found a home with the Miami Heat

By Kevin Parrish Jr | Aug 7, 2017

After bouncing around during the first few years of his career, Dion Waiters has finally found a home with the Miami Heat

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