Long viewed as an underachiever and one of the laughing stocks of the league, Dion Waiters has seemed to find his way as a member of the Miami Heat. Despite his great play of late, questions still remain: Is his recent play legit or is it another example of a contract year emergence? What exactly is his ceiling?
Before I get into this article, I have to qualify everything I’m about to say with this: I am not, nor have ever been, a fan of Dion Waiters. My problem was never about the talent he possessed, but more about how he played the game. He’d never been more than a volume shooter with false confidence in my eyes. So, I was obviously less than happy when he’d found his way into a Miami Heat uniform this season. With that being said, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by his play this season.
Waiters has not only been a model citizen but he’s showed improvement in some important categories. He’s tied a career-high in points per game (15.9). He’s also shooting a career-high percentage from three (38.4%) and averaging career-highs in assists per game (3.1) and rebounds per game (3.6). He took the NBA by storm during the Heat’s historic 13-game win streak, averaging 20.6 points, 4.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds. He also shot 49.4% from the field, and 49.2% from three.
The win streak also included this beauty:
Waiters’ game is the same as it’s ever been, but it’s much more enjoyable to watch when he’s playing within himself. He remains a slasher and a high volume scorer, which depending on situation, is a curse or blessing.
As mentioned earlier, what’s changed about his game is that he’s better at creating for others. In addition to that, he’s given a considerably better effort on the defensively side of the floor.
So, the question remains: what exactly is Waiters ceiling? In addition to what the ceiling is, we also have to wonder why he hasn’t reached it yet.
In the short term, it’s much easier to answer the why instead of the what. He hasn’t come close to reaching his potential because of his undying confidence that he’s the best player on the floor. While that’s not a terrible characteristic to have in sport, it gets him in trouble more often than not. Any man that names himself “Kobe Wade” as Waiters did in college, doesn’t lack for confidence one bit.
He’s not ever going to reach all-star level, but he definitely has the potential to become a multiple time Sixth Man of the Year-award contender if he were to come off the bench.
Waiters is far from a perfect player and won’t become one, but he has changed my opinion of him pretty drastically over the course of the season. While I’m not willing to become a permanent resident of Waiters Island, I have no problem visiting from time to time.