With the NBA Restart on the horizon, we are going to take stock of who is on the Los Angeles Lakers, what they did, or didn’t do this season, and what to look for as the Lakers look to march towards their 17th championship banner in the most unprecedented circumstances in NBA history.
Dion Waiters
What the Los Angeles Lakers of Dion Waiters over the next couple of months is something different than they envisioned when they first acquired him in early March. Yes, he’s still a better defender and creator than the player he replaced, Troy Daniels, but he will likely be asked to do more as a lead creator now that the squad will be without Rajon Rondo for the next 6-8 weeks.
Earlier this week, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel alluded to wanting to see more of what Waiters can do with the ball in his hands in light of Rondo’s absence.
Frank Vogel says losing Rajon Rondo puts more of a need for Dion Waiters' skillset, and he looks forward to seeing more of what Waiters can do.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) July 13, 2020
Since his early years in Cleveland, prior to LeBron’s second stint with the Cavaliers that Waiters himself was barely a part of, the one season of him being a creator that stands out was his 2017 season with the Miami Heat. The Heat lacked creators off the dribble that season after Dwyane Wade went to Chicago and Waiters, aka Kobe Wade, stepped into the void.
Waiters, as the creator, led the Heat to a second-half surge that regular season after starting the year with the league’s worst record. His season in Miami, where he shot 39 percent from the 3-point line on high volume and also included an iconic game-winner against the Golden State Warriors, who later that season ran up a 16-1 record in the playoffs on their way to a championship.
Anybody who was watching league pass back in those days can’t help but remember it with a lot of warm feelings. While Waiters’ ankles later required surgery and the Heat squad fell short of the playoffs, Waiters won out, signing a 4-year, $52 million contract with the Heat. However, the rest of his Heat tenure was rather forgettable as injury, role and some salacious headlines held him back.
With the Heat looking for any excuse to get rid of him, Waiters was included in the Andre Iguodala trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, before Memphis waived him. Then in a workout with the Lakers, he apparently impressed them with his athleticism and play, earning the spot, at the time, over his new teammate J.R. Smith. It also certainly doesn’t hurt that Waiters used to be represented by Lakers President Rob Pelinka and is currently repped by Klutch Sports.
If Waiters finds his shooting form while maintaining the strong driving ability and sturdy defense he’s shown in his career, the Lakers may very well thrive on Waiters Island. Waiters’ play as a lead ball-handler in Miami was great to watch and is definitely worth exploring for the Lakers, but he has also shown in the past to be a quality role player alongside two major stars, in his lone playoff appearance with the 2016 Oklahoma City Thunder.
Alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Waiters came off the bench in all 18 of Oklahoma City’s postseason games. He shot a solid 37.5% from the 3-point line during that playoff run, helping power the Thunder to a playoff run that peaked when they took a 3-1 lead over the Golden State Warriors, who eventually came back to win the Western Conference Finals.
With Waiters having had both experiences, both being a lead creator with lesser players and fitting with stars in a deep playoff run, gives the Lakers an asset, no matter which way they intend to use him.
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