An ankle injury has kept Dion Waiters out of action all year, but the Miami Heat shooting guard is showing significant signs of progress. Waiters hasn’t played in a game since Dec. 22, 2017, but he was a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice.
Dion Waiters was a limited participant in today’s practice. A sign of progress.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) December 18, 2018
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Waiters working modified three on three full court.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 18, 2018
Waiters will be a welcome addition to the backcourt when he makes his eventual return. He’s played some of the best basketball of his career with Miami, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Now in his third season with the team, Waiters has only appeared in 76 games for the Heat, averaging 15.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
There’s no doubt he can become a key rotational player for head coach Erik Spoelstra, but that’s if he can stay healthy. Throughout his tenure with the Heat, his health has been the biggest question mark. Spoelstra and his staff want to make sure Waiters is 100 percent before he returns because he’s under contract through the 2020-21 season. They have a lot of time and money invested in Waiters.
The Heat are hoping to put their early-season struggles in the rearview and start playing like the playoff team they believe they are. After a worrisome 7-13 start to the season, Miami has steadied itself by winning six of its last nine. A healthy Waiters will certainly help stabilize Spoelstra’s rotations and give the Heat a midseason boost.
Waiters’ timetable for a return is still unclear, but he’s definitely making progress.
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