The Miami Heat continue to exceed expectations, but is Wayne Ellington the biggest surprise of them all?
47 games into 2017-18 play, and many still don’t know what to make of the Miami Heat.
After a historic 30-11 run to end last year, expectations ran high. But then, president Pat Riley didn’t manage to sign free agent Gordon Hayward. Dion Waiters was still struggling with an ailing ankle. And the start of the season was turbulent, causing people to believe the 11-30 team was back.
Now at 27-20, fourth in the Eastern Conference (just one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers), the rollercoaster ride continues.
It’s not just that the Heat are back on track though, it’s how they got here.
Between Kelly Olynyk turning out to be one heck of a find, Bam Adebayo already showing out as a rookie, Josh Richardson setting himself up to be the face of the future and Goran Dragic finally earning recognition from the league… Heat Nation has begun to expect the unexpected.
However, perhaps the biggest surprise of all is how vital Wayne Ellington has become, to Miami’s success.
Having averaged 10.5 points on 41.6 percent shooting from the field, and 37.8 percent from downtown during his first year with the Heat, it was clear from the jump that the guard was an offensive threat. He started just 13 games last season, comfortably coming in with the second unit led by James Johnson and Tyler Johnson, to bring a hot hand to the court. But despite being consistent in his contributions, he was overshadowed by the likes of Dragic and Waiters, rarely given credit outside of the Miami media and fanbase.
This year though, things are different.
Currently averaging 11.2 points on 42.1 percent shooting (40.6 percent from 3), the 30-year-old has only further honed his craft. Especially from the 3-point line, a place Ellington has grown to be deadly from. So much so, that recently, head coach Erik Spoelstra likened him to former Heat player, Ray Allen.
"“He’s a walking … trigger — what do they call that in a video game? A cheat code? He’s a walking cheat code. He’s our version of this generation of the Miami Heat of Ray Allen.”"
High praise, especially coming from a straight-shooter like Spoelstra.
To get a better sense of just how important the Pennsylvania-native is to this team, he has had the best net rating of any rotation guy so far this year. He is tied ninth in the NBA in 3-point attempts, with only Steph Curry, Paul George and Klay Thompson from that top ten list, actually shooting better than Ellington.
Nevermind that Miami outscores its opponent by 2.4 points (per 100 possessions) when he’s on the floor, while they get outscored 4.7 points (per 100 possessions) when he’s resting. So to say that the eighth-year is in large part to thank for the Heat’s recent success, would be an understatement.
Who would have thought a so-called specialized role player, not the likes of Hassan Whiteside, would be making headlines for Miami?
Next: Whiteside's double-double not enough as Rockets outlast Miami Heat
This season has been another wild one for the Miami Heat, a team that never stops surprising.