Last week, Dion Waiters made the decision to re-sign with the Miami Heat on a four-year, $52 million deal after considering other offers on the open market.
Waiters' return now puts him in line to be one of the major long-term pieces of the Heat's core. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, team president Pat Riley has set some huge expectations for the 25-year-old.
“He needs to get his free throw percentage up,” Riley said in his office on Monday. “I can't believe he's not an 80-percent free-throw shooter. He shot 66 percent on the year. So we just want to make him more efficient. And what he needs to do during the summer is realize it isn't just running sprints or running steps to get cardio shape. That he needs to go from his knees to his core in a rehab-type of conditioning, which our guys are good for. So I think he'll train a little bit differently. We know his body now.”
Waiters played in just 46 games last season and Riley said “the goal is – I said to him – is 70, 80 games is what you want to play. It used to be a badge of honor to play 82. Guys would be celebrated for playing 82. I mean, I coached A.C. Green in 587 games straight. He played with broken fingers and everything. But that can't happen anymore today, because coaches will just rest players now. But getting your players to play 70 games a year healthy, that's the goal for Dion and I think that he'll be more consistent.”
Waiters is coming off one of his most productive campaigns in his first campaign in Miami, averaging 15.8 points along with posting career-highs of 39.5 percent from 3-point range and 4.3 assists per contest despite playing in just 46 games. This includes scoring 20 or more points on 16 occasions and two 30-point performances.
This new contract has cemented him as one of the core pieces to the team and primary scoring options. It will have to start with himself staying in better physical condition to handle what comes about throughout the regular season and being able to stay relatively healthy throughout those stretches.
If he can improve on that aspect, it will provide him a much better opportunity to build on last season and become an even more dependable scorer for the Heat for the next several years.
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