As Dion Waiters works his way back, the Miami Heat must give him goals to chase. Maybe a key to success for many, proper motivation is a necessity for Dion.
Dion Waiters is out of shape and overpaid. As a matter of fact, the Miami Heat guard has an ego bigger than his game.
Those are the critiques Waiters has amassed throughout his entire career. But is it possible that Waiters’ 2019-20 season could cement him as the definition of what Heat Culture is all about?
The notion seems blasphemous to ponder upon after more than a season of dealing with the remnants of a balky ankle. However, Waiters does possess a few things in the vein of the Heat Culture keepers.
Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning built the foundation on being unafraid to be disliked when trying to get to their goal. These are principles that Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem promptly followed, and one that was already instilled in Waiters coming out of Philadelphia.
Each version equates to drive, only Waiters’ is seen more as arrogance as opposed to a humble hunger.
Odds are, the two ways of thinking crept a little closer this offseason as Waiters hinted at signs of depression seeping in after injuries left him on the sidelines, while also having to listen to the ridicule build.
On the positive end, motivation has often been his friend. The need to secure a contract saw him finish the last 25 games of his 2016-17 season averaging 18.4 points per game and 4.8 assists, on 40 percent shooting from the three.
Now, the need to save his career has seen him drop 15 pounds and average 13.0 points–in two preseason games–on 63 percent three-point shooting. Toss in an average of four assists across the two games and Waiters is showing strides of the guy who thrived on the drive-and-dish enough to have defenders step back and allow him to shoot, a need not lost on Heat coach Erik Spoelstra based on this quote from the Miami Herald:
"“I would love for him to have that kind of menu, a lot of attacks and a lot of things in the paint and threes. That’s playing to Dion Waiters’ strengths…. So I like the idea of him expanding and doing both, and playing to his strengths.”"
Still, those strengths have yet to gain him anything other than a reserve role.
Aiming for the starting five allows Waiters to put his foot on something to strive for. It also gives Spoelstra a way to humbly bring Waiters further into the culture.