A look at how the Dion Waiters signing affects Wayne Ellington on the Miami Heat roster.
This summer has been interesting for the Miami Heat, to say the least. It started promisingly enough, with the Heat re-signing prized big man Hassan Whiteside to a max contract. But quickly fell off the rails after that, with striking out on the marquee free agent Kevin Durant and the embarrassing departure of Heat legend Dwyane Wade.
Suddenly, the free agent period became a scramble for the Heat. They’ve signed journeymen guys like Derrick Williams, a former No. 2 overall pick, James Johnson and Wayne Ellington. After missing out on Wade, they were then somewhat forced to match the offer sheet Brooklyn signed Tyler Johnson to, which included a poison pill for the third and fourth seasons.
The Heat’s most recent signing is another combo guard, this time the mercurial Dion Waiters. A fairly good talent, Waiters has had trouble putting everything together in his career since being drafted fourth overall by Cleveland in 2012. The best season of his career to date, was the 2013-14 season, in which he averaged 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists a game.
He played this past season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which he averaged 10 points and 3 rebounds a game while shooting 40% from the field. While those numbers don’t stand out to the naked eye, he played pretty well in a much more structured environment and has potential as a solid pickup for the Heat despite his reputation as a ball hog and inefficient player.
Waiters’ signing, however, spells some trouble for one guard in particular and that’s the newly signed Ellington. Ellington had projected to be the Heat’s fourth guard, behind Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson, and Johnson. Waiters provides more potential as a scorer and playmaker than Ellington, and therefore should see more meaningful minutes.
Where Ellington can find minutes ahead of (or next to) Waiters, is as a floor-spacing spot-up shooter. Waiters will never be confused with being a catch-and-shoot guy, so prepare for plenty of isolation basketball whenever he gets his hands on the ball. The best part of Ellington’s game is his shooting, which is promising if Erik Spoelstra wants to play him alongside Dragic in spells.
Minutes in the NBA are never guaranteed, so there’s no absolute decision to play Waiters ahead of Ellington, but one has to think Waiters didn’t come here to be a bit player on a semi-rebuilding roster.