Is Dion Waiters the Miami Heat’s X-factor?
Alright, how did you feel about the Miami Heat signing Dion Waiters, and what are your feelings on him as part of the roster now?
Rahmeaun Rahming (@Boneman9000): It took a few days to sink in that Dwyane Wade was really gone, but when it was announced that Dion Waiters was signing with us, I was pissed.
I remember saying repeatedly to anyone who would listen, “I can’t believe we signed this guy. All he’s going to do is nominate himself for ‘Shaqtin a Fool’.” Later that year, my dad and I sat down to watch a Miami Heat game where I took three minutes to unleash my thoughts on him and what does he do next? He checks into the game, runs the play head coach Erik Spoelstra called (which mostly kept him off ball), and calmly sinks a corner 3. I said to my dad “Oop! I guess that shut me up.” From that moment on, I knew he was a player I needed to pay attention to. Now I can’t see the team without him on it. He’s our ‘X-factor.’ If he ever gets traded, we’re either getting an All-Star player, or we’re tanking.
Brandon Johnson (@bjtripleot): To be perfectly honest, Miami signing Waiters was entirely underwhelming, considering their recent history.
After forming the Heatles in 2010, adding Waiters was just another drop in the bucket, at least at first. On paper, his presence wasn’t anything to hype up. He averaged just 9.8 points per game the season prior and had a bit of a reputation around the league.
His affinity for long 2’s didn’t mesh well with the modern NBA (he attempted 301 mid-range shots in 2015-16, more than either his buckets at the rim or from 3) , and his high self-confidence immediately struck me as being a bit too cocky, given his lacking NBA resume. But then 2017 happened.
Waiters’ unabashed brand of swagger was the perfect fit for a Heat team that lost its leader. He takes the tough shots. He pushes for the comebacks. And most importantly, he bought into the system. Players like him can often fall victim to their own ego – look no further than Nerlens “I Bet on Myself” Noel. Waiters bought into Miami’s training regimen and cemented himself a leader on a squad looking for an identity.
And what’s your favorite Waiters-Heat moment thus far?
Rahming: That’s an easy one: the night NBA fans started to take notice on a national level.
January 23rd, 2017. On a night where our stars held their averages and our shooters failed us (Hassan Whiteside 4-13, Goran Dragic 5-14, Rodney McGruder 1-5, Wayne Ellington 3-12), Waiters torched the Golden State Warriors for 33 points (6-8 from beyond the arc), 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. And of course, how could you forget how he capped off that performance?
With no timeouts and 11 seconds left, Okaro White (remember him?) inbounds to Waiters under their own basket. From the speed he was going up the court, you could tell everyone in the building knew he was going to take the last shot. The Warriors did everything right and put their best defender, Klay Thompson, on the red-hot Waiters. And then it began. The stare down, a couple rhythm dribbles, a crossover to his left, a cross to his right, and an escape dribble to his left with a dagger pull up 3. I swear, the pose he made immediately after with his feet spread wide and his arms across his chest was my phone background for the next three months.
Johnson: The obvious favorite is the Golden State game winner.
That shot over Klay Thompson bookmarked a historic Heat stretch, giving hope to the possibility that Miami could manage without Wade. But the moment I love most came two days later, against the Brooklyn Nets. With 10.7 ticks on the timer, Wayne Ellington, of all players, inbounds the ball (keep in mind, Miami’s already up a point, so forcing an early shot isn’t necessary).
But of course, Waiters loves big moments.
He flashes up to the 3-point line, almost fumbles the inbound pass. Exactly 1.9 seconds expire off the clock when Waiters heaves it over Randy Foye. After it rattles through the hoop, Waiters hits something of his signature pose: a slight lean back with an upturned look of, “ya darn right I hit that”.
It’s only after he rushes to the bench that he breaks character, his expression replaced by a toothy ear to ear grin. That moment, which sealed the fifth win on the Heat’s eventual 13-game streak, captured exactly who Waiters is. A little trigger happy, sure. But he’s the guy you want taking the last shot, hands down.
What do you think Miami’s 2017-18 run would have looked like, if Waiters had remained healthy?
Rahming: Realistically, if you look at the standings, with a healthy Waiters, the Heat were good for another 48-34 record this past season, the same as the out of nowhere Indiana Pacers.
At the end of some tricky standings math which involves not losing to the Pacers in overtime during their first head-to-head matchup of the season, the Heat would’ve been able to grab the No. 5 seed and then eventually pull off the upset of the LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers, that the Pacers could not. They would’ve shredded both the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards, to ultimately later find themselves in the Eastern Conference FInals playing with house money.
Johnson: I’d like to say that Miami would have reached at least the fifth seed with a healthy Waiters.
However, the Heat were 27-23 without waiters from December 23 to the season’s end. Prior to his absence, their record was 17-15, meaning both of the season’s segments were near identical percentage wise (.540 versus .531). Unless Miami gelled in such a way that would have outpaced the work put in by the Philadelphia 76ers, Cavaliers and Pacers, my guess is that Waiters presence doesn’t change much through the regular season.
That said, come playoff time, we’d finally see a player in his most natural form: Playoff Waiters. Waiters made the playoffs only once before, with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015-16. With Miami this season, Waiters would have been able to show off his true colors, likely making the first round more interesting than it turned out to be.
So do you think Waiters will remain in South Florida for the long haul?
Rahming: Absolutely.
Living in Philadelphia, anyone that you speak to about Waiters knows his path was not an easy one. Filled with constant change, avoiding the wrong crowds, death, and a misperception that he’s too cocky, Waiters has finally been able to find a place to call home at just the right time.
The Culture was desperately searching for a star and in walked Waiters on a one-year ‘prove it’ deal, with a player option for the second. He may not have been who we pictured at first but he’s the scoring option we needed. A mentally tough, scoring off-guard who backs down from no one and has the skills to back it up against the league’s elite. I think he knows his career has been saved. He’s another president Pat Riley reclamation success story with a clear-cut role and a contract guaranteed through 2021. In today’s NBA, that’s becoming harder and harder for non-rookies or stars in their prime. Just ask Carmelo Anthony…
Johnson: I have no reason to think Waiters will leave Miami any time soon.
The organization speaks highly of him, lauding him for his work to return to the court. If his growth goes unencumbered by his ankle surgery, Miami is the perfect place for him. Surrounded by flexible pieces that finally let him be the star he knows he is, Waiters has the opportunity to become what he couldn’t in Oklahoma or Cleveland.
Plus, Heat Nation needs someone to cling onto after Wade retires. The Heat have failed to attract the big name free agent they’ve wanted over the last few years, but at just 26 years old (he’ll be 27 in December) Miami just might have found their guy.
Next: Is Hassan Whiteside's career salvageable for the Miami Heat?
In Waiters the Miami Heat trust.