- Jimmy Butler on Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo: ‘We’re all going to end up winning a championship together’
- Bam Adebayo reveals he didn’t recruit Donovan Mitchell to Miami Heat
- Former NBA executive says Bam Adebayo’s defense has not been as ‘fearsome’ this season as it was in previous 2 campaigns
- Report: Omer Yurtseven cleared for high-impact work with hope to return after All-Star break
- Brian Windhorst thinks the Miami Heat need to make a trade because they have ‘one of the worst benches in the league’
- Report: Teams continue to call Miami Heat to gauge Kyle Lowry’s trade status
- Jimmy Butler makes heartfelt post for kid who traveled far to see him play: ‘Incredible kid that has an amazing life ahead of him’
- Kyle Lowry speaks out on trade rumors involving him and complaints from Miami Heat fans about his scoring
- Report: Heat began talking to Timberwolves about possible Kyle Lowry-D’Angelo Russell trade in December
- Shaquille O’Neal leaves Bam Adebayo off of his All-Star reserve ballot
Dion Waiters Earns High Praise From Erik Spoelstra at First Day of Training Camp
- Updated: September 27, 2016
A common theme in the new faces that make up the redone Miami Heat roster is one involving players who are looking for a fresh start. One of those players is Philadelphia native Dion Waiters, who has been pushed from one team roster to another because of his reputation as a bad teammate.
Waiters had a couple options this summer but ultimately chose the Heat because of the reputation head coach Erik Spoelstra has in giving players a chance to improve in his system.
“I wasn’t worried about the money,” Waiters said. “That’s going to take care of itself at the end of the day.”
Waiters signed a short-term, two-year deal with Miami knowing that he could make more money elsewhere. That was the first positive sign that Spoelstra saw and he was even more impressed with how Waiters reported to camp.
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“He’s in terrific shape,” Spoelstra said. “He really committed the last few weeks to get into world-class shape, Miami Heat shape, better shape than he’s ever been in in his life. That’s the first step.”
According to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, when Waiters arrived for voluntary offseason training three weeks ago he weighed in at 234 pounds and had 10 percent body fat. At the start of training camp today he was down to 222 pounds and 7.5 percent body fat. That’s pretty impressive stuff for three weeks work, even for a professional athlete.
How did Dion Waiters look? Spo: "He's in great shape, made it through this practice without a problem. We love his conditioning right now."
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) September 27, 2016
All signs point toward Waiters stepping into the large shoes left by Dwyane Wade at the shooting guard position. The former Syracuse University star knows he’ll be under pressure but isn’t letting that get to him.
“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to block that out,” said Waiters. “The only thing I can do is be prepared for whatever happens.”
Coach Spoelstra echoed the same sentiment.
“He doesn’t need to fill in anybody’s shoes. He can be himself and grow in that role,” said Spoelstra.
It seems that coach Spoelstra has taken a liking to what Waiters has shown so far. It will be interesting to watch how a motivated Waiters fits into the Heat’s game plan this year.
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