Wayne Ellington can be seen working with the Miami Heat during this first week of training camp at FAU. But this time, he isn't a player himself.

The former Heat guard from 2016-2019 is now a player development coach as announced by the team on Sept. 29 through their X  page.

A reunion for Spo and Ellington

Ellington was seen guarding Josh Richardson in drills Thursday which felt like a flashback from five years ago. For head coach Erik Spoelstra, it's been a “surreal” experience to have Ellington back. In fact, Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints that there was talks during the summer of him being a coach.

“It's surreal. I'm sure it is for the guys. I mean Wayne and I obviously talked during the summer and then we decided that this was going to be a great opportunity. Everybody in the building, including the players were just thrilled. And that's the kind of reaction that he gets from everybody,” Spoelstra said.

“He just has an incredible spirit, he's a competitor, he wants to excel at everything he does, he wants to give back, he wants to mentor,” Spoelstra continued. “I think just his qualities of leadership and being a pro's Pro, wanting to give back to people, I think it's just tailor made for this profession. I'm just really excited to be able to get it done.”

The former player was productive for Miami, even at one point setting the record for most three-pointers made in a season with 227 in 2017-2018.

From player to coach

In an interview with Couper Moorhead at NBA.com, Ellington said that him and Spoelstra always kept in touch and that the process was a fluid situation.

“It’s funny, everything just kind of happened. Just fluid. Spo and I have always kept in touch. Towards the middle of the past season I really had started to miss the game, missed being around it. Obviously it’s what I’ve been doing my entire life. I started missing the game and wanted to figure out a way to get back around it in some capacity,” Ellington said.

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“I wasn’t sure how that was going to be. Whether I wanted to try and coach or enter into the front office world. So there was a lot of different thoughts going into my mind, but as that process grew for me I realized that I never left Miami. This is always home base for me and my family since I came here to play,” Ellington continued. “My relationships with everyone here remained the same. It was always love. I came back for a couple games in the playoffs and I was treated like I had never left.”

His experience as a coach so far…

There was probably no better way to start a young coaching career than with the team that left a huge impact and for Ellington, the Heat was the perfect spot. The Pennsylvania-native said that the process is still new to him, but because of the environment that he's in

“I think I’ve been learning on the fly, but at the same time I’m not shy. That’s why it was a big thing for me to be part of a group that I’m comfortable with,” Ellington said to NBA.com. “Spo trusts me and he knows I’m not going to butt in and say something out of turn or speak on things that I’m not knowledgeable about. But when I have something to say, I already feel comfortable using my voice there.

The move is a win-win for the Heat and Ellington as it gives the team more motivation through this week of training camp until the first preseason game next week.