Miami Heat guard Wayne Ellington: Then, now and what’s to come
By Rob Slater
Then
Wayne Ellington arrived on campus in Chapel Hill, NC during one of the most fruitful times in the storied program’s history, coming off a championship in 2005 and building towards another, led by the future Miami Heat sharpshooter in 2009.
Ellington’s time with Roy Williams at North Carolina was full of trips deep into the NCAA Tournament, before the team finally broke through again in 2009, beating Michigan State (Ellington scored 19 points in the title game).
As a sophomore, Ellington produced his best numbers of his three-year career, scoring nearly 17 points per game and became nationally known for dramatic shots like this one against Clemson, that featured future NBAer Trevor Booker.
The road to the NBA began in the 2009 draft, highlighted by top pick Blake Griffin, as well as future All-Stars Steph Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Ricky Rubio, along with longtime players Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and even current Heat teammate James Johnson.
Ellington was selected 28th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who famously passed on Curry to take Jonny Flynn from Syracuse as well as Ricky Rubio, who would stay in Minnesota for many years. The poor drafting led to poor performance on the court, as the Timberwolves won just 15, 17 and 26 games during Ellington’s tenure, where he was relegated to a bench role.
The lack of winning prompted changes in Minnesota, and Ellington was shipped to Memphis in the summer of 2012 for Dante Cunningham. While he had some brief offensive flashes in Memphis (including a 25-point explosion against the LeBron James-led Miami Heat), Ellington became a true journeyman in the league, bouncing from Memphis to Cleveland, Dallas and Los Angeles in the following years.
Ellington spent a proper full season with the Los Angeles Lakers, before choosing to sign with the Brooklyn Nets in 2015. Coincidentally enough, he scored another career highlight against the Miami Heat with a 26-point game, earning the reputation as a Heat killer over the years. That reputation surely played into the Heat’s attraction to Ellington in free agency of 2016, where he finally earned a stable contract, inking with Miami for two years worth $12 million.