LeBron James might have more confidence in teammate Dion Waiters than anyone else in the NBA. Since the four-time MVP announced his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in July, those close to James have insisted that he has special appreciation for Waiters’ mostly unrealized talents. And now comes a report that a call LeBron made to Waiters before his decision was made public confirms that belief.
Waiters told Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer that James gave him a simple order in early July:
Dion Waiters was en route to Los Angeles last month for a weeklong workout session with pro basketball trainer Rob McClanaghan, an annual West Coast trip that had become as much a part of Waiters’ offseason routine as the trade rumors that always seem to include his name, when his cellphone buzzed. He answered it.
“Be ready,” LeBron James told him.
James had not yet announced that he had decided to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. So he was coy in his brief conversation with Waiters, who grew up in South Philadelphia and has been the Cavs’ starting shooting guard since they drafted him fourth overall out of Syracuse in 2012. “He never gave me a clear-cut answer,” Waiters said, but then, he didn’t need to.
Rumors were swirling in the days leading up to James’ announcement that he’d decided to go home. His phone call to Waiters is the latest development in the aftermath supporting those whispers, but that’s of little consequence now. What matters here is that LeBron is already shouldering the burden of leadership, and that Waiters – who’s been mercurial in his two-year stint with the Cavs – is ready to learn from him.
“I hate losing, and a guy like [James], who’s probably the best player in the world right now, is someone I can learn from. I can grow. I still haven’t reached my peak. Now with a guy like that, he can open up the floor for you and give you a lot of opportunities.”
Often derided for his shot-selection and defensive effort during his time as a pro, the 22 year-old Waiters is saying all of the right things as his time in the spotlight awaits. Cleveland needs an ancillary playmaker/scorer opposite James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving to take advantage of the attention that star triumvirate generates and the team to reach its seemingly limitless offensive ceiling. Waiters’ off-dribble knack and improving long-range jumper make him an absolutely ideal candidate for the job.
And lest you worry that the Philly native will lose the gumption that helped him to basketball’s height, Waiters says his mentality won’t change despite his new status as a fourth offensive option.
“When I get the opportunity to get the ball, I’ve got to destroy my opponent,” he said. “The rest of the floor is going to be so wide open that, once I get by him, the rest of it should be easy…”
“I’m an alpha dog, man,” he said. “No one should take that the wrong way. The way I am, it got me this far, so why stop having it now? I would never, ever, ever stop having confidence…”
That attitude sounds an alarm on the surface. There’s only so many shots to go around with the Cavs, and Waiters will see less of them this season than he has at any time since he picked up a basketball. But if he grows under the guidance of James and realizes his destiny as a top-shelf supporting piece, Waiters’ arrogance could certainly pay off.
Cleveland will surely be playing on the league’s biggest stage at some point in the next few seasons, and will need players ready to seize the moment. Should Waiters learn to take advantage of being a supplementary offensive threat and temper his unyielding mindset, his relatively disappointing rookie and sophomore seasons will be but a blip on the radar of his career. And considering that James has been preparing Waiters to do so since even before his announcement, expecting anything less might be remiss.
Will Waiters thrive as a supporting piece?
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