Miami Heat guard Wayne Ellington has recorded three straight DNPs and a mere 14 minutes of floor time since playing 17 on Dec. 12 in a loss to the Utah Jazz.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra recently lamented not being able to give his sharpshooter more floor time, given the recent surplus at the shooting guard position with the return of Dwyane Wade and Tyler Johnson, along with starter duties for Josh Richardson and Rodney McGruder at the wings, further complicating the rotation.
Ellington, who set a franchise record for most threes in a season in 2017-18, now finds himself scrapping for playing time, spending more time at the warmth of his seat than lacing them up against the rest of the league.
“I'm just working and staying in the gym. It's therapeutic to me,” said Ellington, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I can only control what I can control. It's all I can do at this point. Give back to the team, just continue to give, be a good teammate and enjoy these guys' success.”
Teammate James Johnson previously said he empathized with the veteran, given the amount of talent in the roster and the limited opportunities given with so many bodies now available at his position.
“It's a tough situation for anybody,” said Ellington of his recent benching. “I appreciate J.J. saying he has empathy for me. Those are my guys, we're brothers at the end of the day.”
Ellington was coming off a career year, but has only averaged 8.3 points on 35.8 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from deep this season, with little continuity to mend a subpar start to this season.
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