Dion Waiters: Checking in on the Former Cavs Guard
When it comes to Dion Waiters it is tough for most Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans to be objective. Either, like this writer and Sam Amico, you thought Waiters would explode with this new cast of teammates and become an All Star Caliber player or you thought he was a ball hog, me first player who could never recognize a good shot. If you were of the latter category you were probably glad to see him go. The former category slowly realized they were wrong about Waiters fitting in but still have a soft spot for the guy.
When the Cavs traded Waiters it was a sigh of relief for many. He didn’t seem to like catch and shoot situations, something often available with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving running the point. He didn’t crash the boards or play solid on man defense unless he was being used well on the offensive end of the floor. His jump shot resembled the Leaning Tower of Pisa more than an NBA shooting guard’s form and patience had worn thing among his teammates and coaching staff.
So let us check in on young Mr. Waiters since that trade. Since being traded Dion’s scoring has bumped up 1 point per game to 11.5. His shooting is down from 40% to 38% but his 3 point shooting has rose, still very bad, from 26% to 28%. He is taking about 2 more shots a game and around 1 more 3 pointer a game with the Thunder than he was with the Cavs. He has had more opportunities than expected due to injuries to Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant as well as the trade of Reggie Jackson.
He also has more rebounds, less assists (down to 1.7 a game) and his free throw shooting has plummeted to 65% down from 78% with the Cavs this season. He is playing 5 more minutes a game with the Thunder and has started 8 games. His play has been so sporadic that it inspired a Bleacher Report article calling it “Now or Never” for the 23 year old shooting guard, it was so good we had to post a big chunk:
"Moving from one star-studded roster to another did nothing to change his high-volume, low-efficiency approach. He shot a lowly 40.4 percent on 15.7 field-goal attempts per 36 minutes with Cleveland this season. In Oklahoma City, he has converted just 37.9 percent of his looks and still fired them up at an almost identical rate (15.3 per 36).Considering the “quality” of those looks, it’s somewhat surprising that success rate isn’t worse.“Waiters is mostly taking some of the most godawful off-the-dribble 2s you’ll ever see,” wrote Grantland’s Zach Lowe. “I’m pretty sure he set an unofficial league record for layups that hit only the backboard against Boston on Wednesday.”Waiters’ player efficiency rating during his 34 games with OKC is a putrid 9.3. Of the 243 players who have logged at least 1,000 minutes this season, only 10 have a PER south of 9.3."
PER is a great measure of overall impact on a game. That is a big ouch when looking at what Waiters has brought to the Thunder. Remember that poor shooting form? The Leaning Tower of Waiters has gone so far that it includes his free throws:
Dion Waiters' mechanics are so poor. Look at him leaning back and to the left on a free throw for crying out loud: pic.twitter.com/BdvDS98d4e
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) February 27, 2015
Wow!
There are also endless memes/Vines of Waiters calling for the ball.
We don’t just check in on Dion just to pile on him. His physical talent is there. His mental talent has gotten in the way. He hasn’t adjusted to his role in the NBA and his shot selection would make Allen Iverson blush.
Yet, while Waiters has gotten noticeably worse in OKC, the Cavs reap the benefits. In trading Waiters, and spare pieces that didn’t play, the Cavs acquired J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and half of Timofey Mozgov (the pick they acquired was combined with another 1st to get Timo). Smith has been a lights out shooter, hard nosed defender and willing rebounder and passer. Shump has defended, shown signs of a developing strong 3 point shot and has even been bring the ball up. Half of Timo’s great defense, size and offensive production is thanks to Waiters as well.
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While the Thunder fight, scratch and claw, mostly Westbrook, to try to make the playoffs, the Cavs have been the best team in the league since making the Waiters deal. David Griffin seems to have learned a little about trading from his former boss Chris Grant but added the ability to make a team fit together well. Thanks to Dion Waiters the Cavs were able to make a trade that could catapult them to the NBA Finals and maybe even a championship.
For that, we thank you Mr. Waiters.
Are you surprised by Dion Waiters struggles in OKC?