Dion Waiters has emerged as the Miami Heat’s go-to man in the clutch, but what else is next for the upstart guard?
Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters’ sometimes irrational confidence has more often than not been the punchline of his career—a high volume shooting guard playing next to the likes of LeBron and Durant that always saw himself as a star. Waiters never saw a shot he didn’t want to take and never met a moment deemed to be too big for the former Syracuse standout.
But Waiters is getting the last laugh in the midst of a career year with the Miami Heat.
Averaging career highs in points per game, three-point percentage, rebounds, assists and blocks, Waiters’ play during the Heat’s improbable 21-4 run that vaulted them squarely in the middle of the playoff race has brought up memories of another “DW” that used to call Miami home.
Through big wins against the Warriors, Cavaliers, Hornets and Nets (among others), it was Waiters who found a way to get a basket when the Heat so desperately needed it.
“He’s fearless,” Erik Spoelstra told the Sun-Sentinel following a 106-98 victory in Cleveland, capped by a 30-footer banked in with just seconds remaining. “That irrational confidence, sometimes it drives you nuts.”
On that shot, Waiters said, “I’ve got to take that shot. I’ve been there before.”
Waiters has been there before, this season at least, and his stats in the clutch prove him to be a catalyst to the Heat’s recent winning ways. According to Basketball Reference, Waiters sports an effective field goal percentage of 52.9% in the last two minutes of close games (+/- five points). That’s nearly five percentage points higher than LeBron, eight more than Russell Westbrook and 23 more than potential NBA MVP James Harden.
“I don’t shy away from those type of shots,” Waiters said in the Sun-Sentinel after burying the Golden State Warriors with a three-pointer with just 0.6 seconds remaining in the game. One of the focal points of the Heat’s turnaround has in fact been their three-point shooting: Since January 17th they’ve shot 41% from three, best in the league.
While the Heat have used the three to win, Waiters is one of those players hitting it routinely down the stretch. In the final four minutes of regulation in Heat wins, he is shooting 45% from 3 (effective field goal percentage of 48.7%). And in the final two minutes of close games, Waiters is a toasty 6-of-12 from 3 with an effective field goal percentage of 75%, four percentage points higher than one of the league’s most dominant fourth quarter players—Boston’s Isaiah Thomas.
If that wasn’t enough–on shots to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter, Waiters is also 5-of-11 on the season.
Fans have embraced Waiters for his fearless approach to the game that’s willed the team to several victories when things looked bleak—the latest being a double-clutch three-pointer to put away the Charlotte Bobcats, his third three in a row to put the Heat ahead for good. “When I’m out here, I’m free,” he told the Miami Herald recently.
And all of this love will prove to be prosperous for Waiters, who sets his sights on free agency this summer. But he’s already looking to lock up a long-term deal with the Heat, saying he’d like to get something done “as quick as possible.” He continued, “Let’s keep this thing rolling by any means. I don’t want to go into free agency with a couple days and make a decision. I don’t want that. I know where I want to be.”
If the Heat choose to retain Waiters (the price will undoubtedly go up from the $2.9 million he currently earns), they will lock up a 25-year old guard entering the prime of his career and someone they can rely on late in games and, eventually, in the playoffs.
Next: Waiters says he wants to re-sign with the Heat ASAP
“Every day I’m in the locker room, I always look at the pictures, always look at the champagne showers,” Waiters said. “I have visions about that every day. I ain’t going to stop working until I get to that point.”