For all the questions about his left ankle coming into the season, Waiters didn’t show any signs of pain or discomfort on Saturday. He actually took over the game in the third quarter, leading the White Squad to an impressive 27-5 victory in the quarter with 12 points. Waiters, who finished with 16 points (6-11 FG, 2-3 3FG, 2-3 FT) in the game, displayed his range hitting a pair of threes and a couple of pull-up jumpers.
Waiters, 25, also showed off his ability to get to the basket with a few nasty crossover moves. Late in the third quarter he actually blew past the Heat’s defense in transition and hung on the rim after a dunk. He finished with a team-high five assists and added two rebounds.
“That’s what we’ve seen [in practice],” Spoelstra said. “He’s been moving well. He’s in good condition and he’s been showing that burst of speed. I mentioned it the other day, it’s equal to what he had last year if not better because of the shape that he’s in.”
Waiters said earlier this week he came into camp weighing 219 pounds — more than 15 pounds lighter than he came into training camp last year.
“I told you I’ve been working,” Waiters said. “Even though I was limited to what I normally would do during the summer [because of the badly sprained ankle] I made sure I ate right and I made sure I ran. Once it started feeling better that’s when I started easing myself into doing a lot of things I normally would do.”
That process, Waiters said, began about six weeks before the start of camp. Now that he’s with the team, Waiters said, he’s getting a lot of treatment before and after practices to make sure he doesn’t have any setbacks with the ankle.
“I got the coaches, I got everyone who believes in me, who trusts me, who knows what I can do,” Waiters said. “It’s strictly just about staying focused and having that mindset night in and night out. Like I said, it comes easier once you know where you’re going to be. You know the system, you know the players, you’re just comfortable. Basketball is the easy part.”
Waiters, 25, also showed off his ability to get to the basket with a few nasty crossover moves. Late in the third quarter he actually blew past the Heat’s defense in transition and hung on the rim after a dunk. He finished with a team-high five assists and added two rebounds.
“That’s what we’ve seen [in practice],” Spoelstra said. “He’s been moving well. He’s in good condition and he’s been showing that burst of speed. I mentioned it the other day, it’s equal to what he had last year if not better because of the shape that he’s in.”
Waiters said earlier this week he came into camp weighing 219 pounds — more than 15 pounds lighter than he came into training camp last year.
“I told you I’ve been working,” Waiters said. “Even though I was limited to what I normally would do during the summer [because of the badly sprained ankle] I made sure I ate right and I made sure I ran. Once it started feeling better that’s when I started easing myself into doing a lot of things I normally would do.”
That process, Waiters said, began about six weeks before the start of camp. Now that he’s with the team, Waiters said, he’s getting a lot of treatment before and after practices to make sure he doesn’t have any setbacks with the ankle.
“I got the coaches, I got everyone who believes in me, who trusts me, who knows what I can do,” Waiters said. “It’s strictly just about staying focused and having that mindset night in and night out. Like I said, it comes easier once you know where you’re going to be. You know the system, you know the players, you’re just comfortable. Basketball is the easy part.”
