After being selected as a top-five draft pick, Dion Waiters was a disappointment earlier in his career before he started to turn it around with the Miami Heat.
Dion Waiters signed a lucrative four-year contract after a breakout season with the Miami Heat, but it was the kind of season he should have had earlier in his career, according to one former teammate.
Waiters became a free agent in the summer of 2016 after the Oklahoma City Thunder renounced his restricted free agent rights. It happened late in the offseason, and most teams were set with their rosters. He was limited to signing a one-year, minimum contract with the Heat after Dwyane Wade left for Chicago.
In 46 games last season, Waiters averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, and was a driving force behind Miami’s enhanced offense through the second half of the season. A career year led to a new, four-year, $52 million deal. However, his former Thunder teammate Kevin Durant says he should have gotten that pay day a year earlier.
On the Bill Simmons Podcast, Durant said Waiters wasn’t committed to getting better earlier in his career, and that is why he hasn’t lived up to his lofty draft-day expectations. He said if Waiters would have been more focused, he may not have been forced to sign a minimal one-year deal in the summer of 2016.
"“Hell yeah. He should have got more. But he knows that his fault. He could have got more. He f***ed around.“He’s supposed to be better. He knows that. He waited too long to do what he’s doing in Miami I think.”"
At 25 years old, Waiters still has time to get better. He’s just about to enter his prime and, as Durant pointed out, he’s starting to figure things out in Miami. The Heat might end up being lucky that Waiters fell into their lap. By re-signing him, they are betting on him furthering his development.
Next: Studying Dion Waiters' shooting strengths and weaknesses
The “Heat Culture” may have been what he needed to get his career on track, but being largely rejected a summer ago was probably a kick in the pants as well.