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Miami Heat: 3 goals for Dion Waiters in the 2019-20 season

By John Jablonka

The Miami Heat's Dion Waiters (11) reacts after a play in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. The Nuggets won, 103-99. (David Santiago/Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images)
The Miami Heat's Dion Waiters (11) reacts after a play in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. The Nuggets won, 103-99. (David Santiago/Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 03: Dion Waiters #11 of the Miami Heat reacts against the Boston Celtics at American Airlines Arena on April 03, 2019 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. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 03: Dion Waiters #11 of the Miami Heat reacts against the Boston Celtics at American Airlines Arena on April 03, 2019 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. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Staying on the court

Out of the top players for the Miami Heat, Waiters have missed the most. Of all the disappointing aspects of his game throughout the years, nothing compares to his health. Availability is the greatest strength of any player. What is the point in having the best production level if you are only going to provide that for barely half a season?

Since the 2016-17 season here are the total games played for five of the top players:

Even comparing that to Winslow who played the second least games, the gap between the other players and Waiters is significant.

What exactly seems to be the problem with Waiters’ health? In the 2017 season, he missed his first 20 games with a pectineus tear. Then toward the end of the year had injured his ankle. As a result, he underwent successful surgery to repair any damages.

However, his health isn’t the only issue, though it is still linked to this. This, of course, is his fitness level and his weight. When Waiters joined the Miami Heat, he was out of shape. Shortly after, his body went through the Pat Riley transformation. But since the injury, he regressed to his old self. Even Waiters himself have been aware of this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz9dE23AdbN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Having weight problems won’t be helping his ankle. It will only cause more injuries further down the road due to the increased stress on the body.

This is 2019 though. It has been almost two years since his injuries started to rise. He has time to rest and time to heal. Because of his lack of playing, may have fooled people to think that he can’t go out and hoop.

Out of all these goals for next season, this one is the most important one, not only for himself but for the team. The benchmark for the games played, I would expect him to play is around 65 games. It isn’t a lot, as it still means he would miss 17 games but it is progress… baby-steps.

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