Dion Waiters has seen his share of ups and downs since being drafted in 2012 by Cleveland, and last season there were more downs then ups. This off season The Cavaliers made a complete overhaul for the culture of their organization and one of the first steps to that was the signing of LeBron James. When LeBron James made the decision to come back to Cleveland he texted Dion Waiters 4 or 5 days before telling him to be ready if he did decide to come back. Dion has worked all off season and so hard that he went on a diet by fasting for Ramadan:
What he has a chance to be now, with James and Love, is a champion. By fasting for Ramadan and adopting a new diet that cut his carbohydrate intake, Waiters has lost 12 pounds since last season ended – another measure of preparation for what could be ahead for him. – Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer
Dion also has been working with Kevin Love in Los Angeles whenever they get the chance to do so. With all the attention on James, Love, and Irving open looks should certainly come often for Dion no problem and lanes certainly will be open for him to work with. Dion’s strength has been getting to the basket so imagine with the proper offense that plays to his strengths he could blow up this season in a big way. Waiters has the chip on his shoulder to do big things and his work ethic has done a 180 since he came into his rookie season out of shape.
Waiters showed improvement last season coming off screens and working on his catch and release. One thing I look forward to watching this season is not only Waiters development, but Dion receiving one of Kevin Love’s outlet passes. Dion’s a pretty good passer when he wants to be, so he will certainly keep defenders on their toes. Waiters has studied the way Dwayne Wade played with LeBron in Miami hoping to make the transition an easy one. If Waiters improves his jumper this increases The Cavaliers chances at a title even more and if Cleveland does win a title I can assure you Dion will be a big part of it.
