Miami Heat: Is Dion Waiters really going to be the difference maker?

The Miami Heat are still waiting on Dion Waiters to make his return.

Hello Dion Waiters, Miami Heat shooting guard; where are you?

You haven’t played in an NBA game since December 22, 2017, when you scored only four points and played under nine minutes. You sprained your left ankle in that game, the same ankle that had you miss the final 13 games of the previous season.

You had surgery on January 22, 2018 to repair that left ankle, which ended your run that year after only appearing in 30 games.

The surgery you had, had you out for up to 10 months.

By that timeline, you should be available to play right now. Unfortunately though, you have not been cleared to play yet.

So when will you play? Will you ever play for the Heat again?

I will say, it is encouraging that you have been seen at the arena working out and looking in shape. To be honest, that was probably the biggest fear that us Heat fans have had. Maybe it’s all a sign of your eventual return to the team too.

At least that’s what I’m hoping.

Right now, this team is so weirdly constructed. With so many shooting guards and only one true point guard in Goran Dragic, Miami needs you back. Badly.

Here’s what I see Waiters’ returning doing for the team.

First and foremost, he will help with scoring. There’s no doubt about it.

Sure, he’s not exactly Dwyane Wade, despite people continuing to point out their similarities. But he does follow in the legend’s footsteps in a couple of ways.

One of which is the ability to drive to the basket consistently; something that will not only help in terms of Waiters creating his own shot, but also in regards to giving other guys better looks too.

The Heat obviously have shooters who can knock down 3’s. Between Wayne Ellington, Josh Richardson and Kelly Olynyk, the team’s 3-point shooting ability is there. Now they just need more consistent scorers.

Currently, Miami is 24th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 107 points per game. They are also ranked 25th in offensive efficiency, which after games like the loss to the Utah Jazz, should come as no surprise.

So it goes without saying that something has to change.

The Heat may not get to to the top ten in scoring this season, but maybe Waiters can still push them up the rankings (and take some of the pressure off guys like Richardson, who have had to carry quite a heavy offensive load).

Waiters’ return may also push the organization to make a trade.

While certain players like Richardson and Wade are almost guaranteed to be safe, the rest of the roster should be considered movable.

Especially someone like Ellington, who is only attached to a one-year, $6 million deal, and has proved to be an elite 3-point shooter. Or Rodney McGruder, who is making just $1.5 million this year, and has already stepped up in a major way on both ends of the floor.

The question now is, how long will it take for Waiters to shake the rust off, once he does return?

There’s a good chance that even once he’s officially cleared to return, head coach Erik Spoelstra will still keep him off the floor, until he’s as close to game ready as possible. Which is the smartest play, considering McGruder has been more than comfortable, filling in for the sidelined guard.

But what happens after that, when there’s an obvious logjam at the shooting guard position, is anyone’s guess.

Will Waiters come off the bench? Will guys end up seeing DNP-coach’s decisions on a nightly basis?

Miami Heat fans should brace themselves now; while Waiters’ return will definitely be a positive thing for the team, it will also likely cause a bit of chaos.