A lot has been made of the start we’ve seen not only from the Miami Heat but their starting shooting guard, Dion Waiters, specifically. The Heat are currently clinging to the 8th seed in an improved Eastern Conference with an 18-16 record. Though this mark is better than where they were last season through 34 games, the play of Waiters has been up-and-down to say the least.
Now it appears we may have some answers to his inconsistency. Waiters has missed Miami’s last two contests due to a recurring ankle issue dating back to last March. According to AP’s Tim Reynolds, Waiters’ ankle has been problematic to the extent of requiring ankle surgery, something the guard will consider this offseason.
Dion Waiters will consider having surgery this offseason to repair his problematic left ankle, conceding Tuesday that it probably won’t be fully healed until such a procedure takes place.
After missing the last two contests, it remains to be seen when Dion Waiters makes his return to the hardwood as no timetable has yet been set for him. Waiters provided some insight on battling his ankle ailment:
“I’ve played through it, though,” Waiters said. “I’ve got to. I’m not making any excuses. It is what it is. It’s something I don’t like to talk about because there’s nothing we really can do right now but try to take care of it, get it stronger, things like that. I don’t want to be in this predicament where it’s a little tweak you’ve got to miss a decent amount just off a little tweak. That sucks.”
When asked whether he would consider undergoing the surgery during the season as opposed to after its conclusion, Waiters made his opinion on that idea clear.
“No,” Waiters said. “Hell no.”
After signing an extension with Miami this past summer, Waiters hasn’t exactly lived up to his price tag. His scoring numbers have dropped by over a whole point so far this year and his inefficiency has been a large part of his early season regression.
Waiters’ weight had also been called into question but it’s becoming apparent that this troublesome ankle issue is likely the culprit behind his rocky start. Until the surgery is undergone, we may have to continue to expect subpar numbers out of the typically explosive Dion Waiters.
