Waiters is looking to prove himself as a legit player in OKC
Two weeks ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded away Kyrie Irving’s former back-court cohort, Dion Waiters to the Oklahoma City Thunder – as part of the blockbuster done by Phil Jackson. During his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 23-year-old shooting guard never seemed to find himself alongside Kyrie. While some can contribute that to lack of coaching or playing alongside a superstar point guard trying to find himself in the league, his time on the court decreased even more with the arrival of LeBron James, Mike Miller and James Jones.
Since being traded, Dion has seen his minutes-per-game rise and his points-per-game increase by 4 points. Now humbled to have a new situation with two superstars that have no problem taking the backseat on a weakened roster, Waiters has been embraced by the entire Thunder organization and wants to prove himself as an elite player in the league. After seeing James Harden leave to become a MVP-caliber player, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook finally receive that third scoring option they have been desperately in need of.
Listen, they give me the ball. Like, I touch the ball. Like, I actually, like, you know, touch the ball. They brought me in since Day One with love. It seems like I’ve been here forever. It seems like I’ve been playing with them forever, too. When I came here, we clicked right away. I’m able to feel the game out, knowing when to take the shot, when not to. Like I said, we got a great group of guys on this team who’s very unselfish and they want you to be successful.
So I think I came into a great situation. I’m just trying to show the world, man, I’m a two-way player. It’s not all about scoring with me. I can get down and get dirty and play defense. I think they know it’s in me, though. I just got to continue to keep doing it and stay aggressive on the defensive end. It’s just, like I said, about opportunity and being able to go out here and do what I do and that’s play basketball.
I’ve always been confident in myself knowing what I can do. It’s about having the opportunity to go out there and be able to just play my game and have fun and enjoy it. And that’s what I’m doing. I’m having fun. I’m enjoying the fresh start. It’s a great organization. Great coaches. I couldn’t ask for a better situation than what I’m in.
[Source]