Having merited a whopping four-year, $52 million contract after a brilliant 25-game stretch for the Miami Heat, shooting guard Dion Waiters is now being asked to do more than just be the hot hand from time to time. Head coach Erik Spoelstra wants consistency, and for Waiters, it means using his threat to catch fire as a means to keep the defense on its toes.
“He has to be more efficient,” coach Erik Spoelstra said Tuesday, after Waiters shot 1-of-10 against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “He knows that. He has the ball in his hands quite a bit. There has to be more commitment to get him open and get him into the paint and he has to be more committed to making the right plays and not just settling for low percentage pull-ups, particularly when they're contested and particularly when there's more time on the clock to explore more options of our offense.”
While the memories of a dagger three-point shot in crunch time buried the eventual champions during the regular season, the Warriors made sure it wouldn't happen again, limiting Dion Waiters to four points, two assists, and one rebound in 24 minutes of play.
Waiters, despite being in his sixth NBA season already, still plays like he's at Syracuse at times, seeking to score as much as possible and looking only to facilitate his own offense — which has set his Heat team back a long way.
Even if his averages are somewhat on par with last season's, the 25-year-old is shooting a woeful 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from deep — numbers unworthy of a starting spot in the rotation.
Dion Waiters' play through the next month will determine if he's been indeed worth the investment, if he can find it in himself to listen to Erik Spoelstra and dial back his aggression to score for the betterment of the Heat.
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