According to Shames' report today, Dion Waiters has reached a franchise agreement with the Lakers. He will sign a contract with the Lakers until the end of this season.
Looking at their competitors: Clippers , Bucks and other teams have made a difference in the buyout market and the free market. Players who were once favorites, such as Iguodala, Morris and other players have disappeared. In his case, the Lakers' operations are unsatisfactory. With 's current lineup having obvious shortcomings, their playoff journey seems less certain, and Waiters will be a good reinforcement option for them.
Waiters has good defense and ball-handling ability
From Waiters’ draft template ( Rodney Stuckey ) we can see this player’s style: good ball-holding ability and ability to digest the ball Right, and he also has good key ball ability, psychological quality, and fairly good defensive ability.
Whether it is his Cavaliers career, Thunder career, or Heat career, Waiters is an important offensive point for the team with the ball. In his first season with the Cavaliers, he was successfully selected to the Rookie First Team. In that season, he averaged 14.7 points per game. The backcourt combination formed by him and Irving gave the Cavaliers a good offense. Initiate ability. At the same time, Waiters is quite aggressive on the offensive end. His strong body and violent style of play allow him to change the opponent's formation on the offensive end. Coupled with good psychological quality, Waiters is a certain threat when holding the ball.
According to reports, Waiters' body shape is not out of shape, or it has returned to normal recently, which means that Waiters may be able to maintain good footwork. Although he is not known for his quick footwork, His strength and attitude on the defensive end allow him to have a good defensive efficiency. Just like his defense against Draymond Green and Klay Thompson during the 2016 playoffs against the Warriors, although it has been four years now, at least it can Proof that he has the ability and attitude to do so when healthy. Footwork may decline with age and injuries, but confrontation ability, defensive attitude and awareness will not.
Waiters can provide the forward defensive resources the Lakers need.
What the Lakers need is already relatively obvious: defensive ability on the forward line, outside shooting points, and independent offensive points on the bench.
The lack of defensive ability on the forward line is also the reason why the Lakers have always wanted to get players like Iguodala and Morris. Now Morris has come to the Lakers, but unlike Morris Jr., his footsteps are difficult to be qualified for the third position. Especially when the opponent puts on a small lineup, his disadvantage will be amplified.
As mentioned earlier, although Waiters is not tall, he has good size and strength. Waiters has a tough style. He and Howard can bring important mental strength to the bench. Coach Vogel is also a defensive coach, and Waiters can get exactly what he wants.
Waiters is only 193 centimeters tall, and now his footsteps may not be able to keep up with defenders. When he showed promise in college, scouts have noticed that his speed and lateral movement make it difficult for him to maintain his position in high-level leagues. So radiant. However, he can rely on other strengths to make up for his shortcomings. Waiters can provide defense on the front line, but it is a bit difficult for him to defend the opponent's defender. According to the current situation, the Lakers' potential opponents in the playoffs: Grizzlies , Rockets , Jazz and other teams all have fast-moving guards.
Another ball-handler is needed on the bench.
James is already 35 years old, but this season, his ball-holding time has reached a career high. In the past, he had excellent ball-handlers like Wade and Irving beside him. Ball players, there were Ball and Ingram last season, but now, Rondo's rapid decline has stretched the backup defender's ball-holding ability. Before the trade deadline, the Lakers got nothing, Collison has no intention of returning, and Reggie Being snatched away by the Clippers, their best reinforcement target now is Waiters.
Dion Waiters scored 16.7 points and 3.5 assists every 36 minutes last season, and the assist-to-goal ratio accounted for only 30%, which means that Waiters can pass his own persistence most of the time. ball to create scoring opportunities.
Waiters is nicknamed "Little Wade" because of his good offensive power and bounce when holding the ball. Waiters has a good sense of rhythm when holding the ball and can grasp the time difference. At the same time, he also has good finishing ability. He can still hit shots under strong interference, and his strong body also allows him to adapt to confrontation.
Waiters has averaged 2.8 assists per game in his career. When he has enough possession of the ball, he can average more than 4 assists per game. When James comes off the court, the Lakers need a defender like Waiters who has both personal threat and organizational ability.
As he grows older, Rondo's influence on the court has declined. Although he still averages 7.3 points and 5 assists per game this season, we should see many shortcomings in him. First of all, his defensive ability is far from what it used to be. Not only is his footwork increasingly slow due to injuries and age, he is too sticky when holding the ball, which is not conducive to the development of the team's offense. In addition, his offensive ability Compressing the Lakers' offensive space, Rondo only averaged 42.4% field goal percentage and 33.6% three-point shooting rate per game. In many cases, opponents almost ignored Rondo's offensive threat.
Waiters' ball-handling and organizational skills last season, as well as Rondo's current state, the Lakers can look forward to Waiters' performance.
The Lakers should face Waiters' inefficient offense
Although Waiters scored 16.7 points every 36 minutes last season, his shooting percentage was only 41.2%, which is undoubtedly very inefficient, and the Lakers must face it In such a situation, arrangements must be made in time to avoid situations that Waiters' inefficient offense may cause in the playoffs.
Waiters does not have a stable outside threat. When he feels good, he can make long shots against two or three people, but when he feels bad, he cannot maintain the threat of open mid-range shots. In his career, he often had poor shooting skills. You can get a glimpse of this through his career shooting rate of less than 70%.
In addition, Waiters' finishing ability under the basket is also far below average. Last season, for example, his shooting percentage at the basket was only 51.1%, and the number of shots under the basket accounted for 28.2 of the total. %. Rivers, who has always been criticized for his finishing ability at the basket, has shot 54.9% at the basket this season.
Waiters is less than the average height for the second position, and his wingspan is only an average of 200 centimeters. Although the difference in height and wingspan is not bad, the absolute wingspan can only be considered average in NBA. In addition, Waiters His explosive power is not enough, which makes it difficult for him to form an effective escape in many rounds. Waiters likes to use his body, but physical confrontation can easily affect his finishing rhythm. In many cases, his effects are not as good as people expect.
The reality is that Waiters is just a waived player, and his competitive state is definitely far worse than before. If the Lakers hope that he can make a leap in the overall strength of the team, it is definitely nonsense, but Waiters Si's technical characteristics and abilities can provide the Lakers with what they need for a certain period of time.
The Lakers' veterans may be able to suppress Waiters' thorny attributes.
28 years old, which should be the golden age of an athlete, but Waiters was waived by the Heat at this age. On the one hand, because of his injury The cause of the disease is, on the other hand, its prickly properties.
When Waiters left his home team, the Cavaliers, it was because of the turmoil he caused in the locker room. Waiters was dissatisfied with Irving's status in the locker room and was passive in team training. Waiters even punched Irving and interrupted him. Owen's nose.
In the Heat, Waiters also had a lot of "confused behavior". In addition to basic operations such as being suspended for taking banned substances, the most commonly mentioned one is that after he applied for sick leave from the Heat, he should have While he was resting at home, he appeared on a small boat in the countryside, rowing leisurely. This wasn't enough for Waiters, who then posted the photo on his Instagram account, which has 370,000 followers. This use of sick leave as an excuse for entertainment completely angered the Heat, so Waiters also received his third suspension.
In the past, an important part of building a team around LeBron was to build a team culture based on friendship between players, and Waiters had a teammate relationship with LeBron in the past. At the same time, Howard's past experience may be able to give Waiters some inspiration. He is also a prodigal son. Howard has received recognition from the outside world after turning around, and Waiters may be able to get back on track under the guidance of these teammates.
The strength of the championship team lies not only in their top team strength, but also in their soft power. When they have a harmonious locker room atmosphere, it will encourage them to unite on the court. If Waiters can If it blends into the current locker room atmosphere of the Lakers, then their signing of Waiters will be a good reinforcement.
Waiters can bring the Lakers a lot of things they need. Although it is impossible to expect him to provide help in times of need, he may be the icing on the cake and help the Lakers win the championship. Waiters also assured the Lakers that he would not make any mistakes again. In the consensus reached by both parties, the Lakers emphasized that Waiters' performance must be effective, otherwise the Lakers can choose to lay off him. As the No. 4 pick in 2012, it was unexpected that Waiters had no ball to play with in his prime. This was also the consequence of his own misbehavior. Now that the Lakers have retained him, we hope he can seize the opportunity. We also hope that Waiters can Completed rebirth with the Lakers.
