Miami Heat shooting guard Dion Waiters has made plenty of headlines off the court this season, though he had yet to even take the floor for the Heat until Friday night.
Nevertheless, Waiters seized the moment in his season debut, scoring 14 points while adding four rebounds and a pair of blocks. Waiters made a number of big buckets as he went 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, and he showed why he is capable of being yet another depth piece in Miami's backcourt.
The same attitude that seemingly made him a hassle to deal with off the floor is already prevalent on the floor, and teammates are taking notice.
Heat center Bam Adebayo said Waiters has “big cojones” (via Manny Navarro of The Athletic):
Like when he hit a 3-point shot in the first half and drew a foul on former Heat teammate Rodney McGruder doing it. Or later, when he blocked Lou Williams twice on the same possession, ran down the floor and drilled an open 3-pointer to trim what was once an 18-point fourth-quarter Clippers lead to 118-115 with 34 seconds remaining. “He’s got big cojones, man,” Heat big man Bam Adebayo said of Waiters. “You can definitely see it in his swagger. That’s what Dion is all about. Making the big shots, big plays. He’s built for those moments.”
Perhaps the most impressive element of Waiters' performance is how productive he was in just 18 minutes of run. He was not tentative or passive, in the slightest.
Miami has dealt with a number of suspensions and headaches as far as Waiters is concerned. But Friday night was a positive step in terms of his standing with the organization, and the possibility he could play a major role for a contender in the Eastern Conference.
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