Could Dion Waiters have saved the Miami Heat’s season?
By Chase Eyrich
After losing in the first round of the playoffs, let’s look at what could have saved the Miami Heat’s season.
Despite a late fourth-quarter comeback, the Miami Heat’s season came to an end Tuesday night. The Philadelphia 76ers had too much momentum coming into the postseason and it continued into their 4-1 series victory over the Heat.
At times, it looked like Philadelphia had total control, while other times Miami gave you the feeling that they could make a run. Yet, while only winning one game of the series, it seemed like Miami was only missing one thing.
Heading back to Miami after game two with the series tied at 1-1, there wasn’t much doubt that we were in for a great series. Realistically, that’s what we were given. The first round gave us a hard-nosed/physical matchup that may have created a new rivalry. The two teams left us wanting more after only five games. With a little extra push, the Heat might have been able to extend the series. The push they were lacking could have been Dion Waiters.
A season unlike any other
It’s no secret; this has been a unique season for the Heat. At times, it felt like this team would never be fully healthy. Not a single player played in all 82 games this season for the Heat. Miami’s game-by-game statistic leaders changed often. You could say that it was because this was such a versatile team, but it was more of the fact that they were forced to.
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The injuries played a role throughout the season and Waiters was the one affected the most. Playing and starting in 30 games, surgery cut his season short. The 2017-18 season provided mixed emotions for many Heat fans concerning Waiters.
Some said Waiters took the money and ran after signing a four-year, $52 million dollar deal last summer. It’s fair to say he had his fair share of struggles this past season. It was obvious that his ankle was continuing to aggravate his game more than he expected.
While his ankle ultimately needed surgery, Waiters still came away with 14.3 points per game while shooting 46.3 percent from inside the 3-point line. The shooting guard from Syracuse might not have had the season he wanted, but he could have been the difference maker versus Philadelphia.
Waiters Island
Waiters lives for the moment. He wants to be that player taking the big time shots and there are plenty of them in the playoffs.
The 2012 All-Rookie honoree hasn’t had much experience in the playoffs but would have matched up well in this series. He might not be known for his defense, but he could have matched the numbers that J.J. Redick and Marco Belinelli were posting. Canceling out just one of those players could have been the difference maker.
The Heat needed to keep up with the 76ers’ pace, but were unable to. With Waiters in the game, it’s likely that they would have had the personnel to run the floor and match up better with Philadelphia.
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Overall we will never know what effect Waiters would have had on this series, but let’s be honest, who wouldn’t have loved to see Waiters Island in playoff mode?