Wayne Ellington has endured a somewhat frustrating career to this point, but the Miami Heat may finally give him the stable situation he needs.
As the 2015-16 NBA regular season came to a conclusion, Wayne Ellington had officially completed his seventh season as a pro. For many, the response is likely to be “Wayne who?”. And you couldn’t blame them.
For all his travails to this point, nothing compares to what he experienced during his stint with the Lakers. Early that season, his father, Wayne Sr, was shot and murdered. To his credit, Ellington missed just one week of play before returning to action. Recently, he penned an amazing tribute to his late father in The Players’ Tribune.
Ellington has been bouncing from team to team ever since he was chosen as the 28th pick of the 2009 NBA draft. For the most part, he has been stuck in losing situations. His teams have won 26 games or fewer on six separate occasions. Mike Conley and Ricky Rubio represent the only true point guards he has shared the court with. His court time with those two, however, was scarce.
For the most part, he has been surrounded by either shoot-first point guards or sub-standard coaching. All of this in complete contrast to his amazing college environment.
Next: College career