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Miami Heat: Dion Waiters won’t be ready for start of season

By Dario Ramos

MIAMI, FL - NOVEMBER 10: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Chicago Bulls shares a hug with Dion Waiters #11 of the Miami Heat before the game on November 10, 2016 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - NOVEMBER 10: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Chicago Bulls shares a hug with Dion Waiters #11 of the Miami Heat before the game on November 10, 2016 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Miami Heat begin regular season play roughly one month from now, but unfortunately it looks like they will be forced to play without one of their key players.

On Tuesday, Miami Heat president Pat Riley announced that guard Dion Waiters is unlikely to be ready to go on opening night

The 26-year-old Waiters underwent surgery back in January to repair his left ankle, however is not yet 100 percent and the Heat are smartly not attempting to rush him back.

This news shouldn’t be particularly surprising though, as Waiters was told the surgery could sideline him for up to ten months (I would imagine the Heat were privy to that information as well).

Last season, Waiters averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 39.8 percent from the field. His numbers were slightly down across the board, compared to his first season with the Heat.

It is a bit of a bummer that the Heat won’t be completely healthy entering the new season, no question.

But on the bright side of things, they do have plenty of depth at the guard spot, giving head coach Erik Spoelstra several lineup options to consider.

This is especially true after franchise icon Dwyane Wade announced on Sunday that he will be returning to the Miami Heat for his sixteenth and final season in the NBA.

Wade figures to get his fair share of playing time, as well as obviously opportunities in clutch situations, especially while Waiters is still recovering.

Having said all of that, once Waiters does return to the Heat fully healthy, the team needs him to stay that way; which to this point has been a real struggle for him to say the least.

In his two seasons with the Heat, he has played in just 76 out of a possible 164 games.

Now, with Dion entering his third season with the Heat, the team badly needs him to return to the player he was in the second half of the 2016-17 season when that 30-11 run happened, or at least produce at a similar level.

This is Waiters’ second year of a four year deal he signed in the 2017 offseason, and he’s set to make about $11.5 million dollars this season alone.

2018-19 will be a very important season for Dion Waiters.

Next. Why don’t the Miami Heat have more traditional point guards?. dark

The Heat rewarded him with a large contract after an impressive first season in Miami, but the time for him to prove to the Heat and the league that he was worth it, is now.

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