Dion Waiters Says He’s Been Held Back In The Past
The newest member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dion Waiters, is making his debut with OKC at Sacramento tonight. Waiters was part of this week’s three-team trade that sent J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland in his absence.
Here was Waiters’ Q&A with Oklahoma City media, per Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman:
Why you wearing 23?
They didn’t have any numbers. I wanted 3, I wanted 1. They didn’t have that. So I said, OK, I’m gonna take 13 because I wanted 1, they didn’t have 1. Then 13, they didn’t want me to wear 13. 23, I didn’t want to wear 23. My favorite number is 3. They just gave me 23.
You remember who wore 13?
Yeah, James (Harden). So they didn’t want me to wear 13. Guess they wanted me to have my own identity. We gonna make 23 look good though.
Have they seen you, really get to see you do what you could do?
Nah, I’ve always been like held back a little bit from really reaching and showing what I can do. I think last year I got a chance to do that when guys went down and I was able to show what I can do in that time.
Waiters’ natural ability to blend with LeBron James when he returned home was a recurring speculation in Cleveland due to his high-volume, trigger happy tendencies. Scoring the ball is the primary strength of Waiters, who has no trouble creating or looking for his own shot.
With Oklahoma City, who could certainly use another scoring option outside of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Waiters’ role will assumably be as an offensive punch off the bench. Reggie Jackson has carried the weight of that role thus far. He’s a free agent this summer and was also dealt to the New York Knicks in the deal for Waiters.
Scott Brooks has some interesting and now more dynamic combinations to work with in his back court. Waiters had an opportunity to be part of a winning experience in Cleveland. That opportunity is also presented in Oklahoma City. What he does well is something the Thunder can use, but trying to show them a little too much of what you can do might be detrimental. The challenge for Waiters is staying true to his style while also helping this team develop it’s championship morale.
