The Culture
Earlier this week, Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated wrote a feature on Dion Waiters titled, ‘Dion Waiters Would Like a Word.’ The piece walks readers through Waiter’s time with the Heat, as Waiters himself talks a lot about the rehab process and missing the game.
There is one quote that sums up what Heat fans and NBA fans alike know about Waiters. His confidence backs down for nothing and no one.
"“I know I’m better than a lot of these guys in the motherf—ing league,” Waiters says when questioned about what he can bring to the Heat. “I only gave y’all a taste. I know I can do more.”"
Just three days after the feature was posted, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweeted an update from Erik Spoelstra on Waiters:
Spoelstra said Dion Waiters "recently" passed his conditioning test.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) December 22, 2018
“Very close," Spoelstra said when asked if Waiters is back to where he was a few years ago. "In terms of his weight and body fat. He’s passed virtually everything up to this point."
This is great news for the Heat and what the season could unfold into. With Dragic out a few months, the Heat can use help anywhere they can get it.
Waiters’ return might cause a lapse of game flow as Spoelstra figures out where he plays best and who he plays best with. His return will also most likely be gradual, so having him play with different players for short amounts of time will certainly be an adjustment, until he is up to playing the amount he was last season.
Despite all of this, given what fans know Waiters can bring to the Heat, could make a huge difference in the direction this team is headed, and hopefully for the better.
Here’s to more good things, coming soon.