NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 best shooting guards available
By Dre Elder
2. Dion Waiters
Dion Waiters is no stranger to criticism. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him fourth overall in 2012 and then traded him after two and a half seasons. There were questions about his attitude towards teammates. He is also the subject of a treasure trove of internet memes for his unabashed confidence. But Waiters is also an above-average basketball player. In fact, he was brilliant during the Miami Heat’s post-New Year’s Day surge last season.
The Heat were left with a vacancy at shooting guard after Dwyane Wade stunningly signed with the Chicago Bulls one year ago. So they went out and signed Waiters to a two-year, $6 million deal. It was a chance for Waiters to start and prove his worth as a primary scoring threat. He went on to average career-highs in 3-point percentage, rebounds, assists, Win Shares per 48 minutes, and Value Over Replacement Player. Waiters scored 20 or more points in 16 of the 46 games he played in 2016-17. During a three-game stretch in January, he averaged 30 points on 63 percent shooting from the field and a whopping 72 percent from distance. You probably recall his game-winning 3-pointer against the Golden State Warriors in the second game of this stretch.
Waiters seemingly revived his career in a matter of days and continued that momentum before an ankle injury effectively ended his season. But his performance in the latter half of the season will make him a truck load of money once NBA Free Agency opens. Imagine what $15-20 million annually will do Waiters’ confidence.