Cleveland Cavaliers: Is Dion Waiters ready to break out?

Dion Waiters is on the verge of breaking out for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo Credit: Erik Daniel Drost, Flickr.com

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a great deal of upside in their franchise. Kyrie Irving leads the young squad and could possibly lead them to greatness. He has truly evolved into a full-fledged All-Star.

Straight away, Irving needs help that could come from Dion Waiters.  Now the question becomes, “Is Waiters ready to break out?”

The Cavaliers see a bright future from the 21-year-old rookie from Syracuse. Waiters starts as a shooting guard for the Cavaliers and since then, he’s thriving in that role.

In 50 games, Waiters averages 14.8 points per game, shooting 41 percent on the field. He’s had a string of successful games, scoring 91 points combined in the last four games. Waiters scored 26 in a Feb. 24 loss to the Miami Heat, 25 in a Feb. 26 win over the Chicago Bulls and 23 in a Feb. 27 win over the Toronto Raptors. Waiters slowed down in a March 1 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 17 points in 28 minutes.

His highest point total came in a Jan. 14 loss to the Sacramento Kings, scoring 33 that night while coming off the bench.

Waiters has been on fire since the All-Star break. In the Cavs’ six games since the All-Star Game, he’s averaged 19.8 points per game.

Waiters earned his starting spot and his minutes have increased during the season. He averages 29:36 minutes a game. He logged more than 30 minutes each in those games against Miami, Chicago and Toronto.

Waiters’ defense is respectable, averaging a steal a game, totaling 52 steals, impressive for a rookie.  Nothing has changed as he continues to show the same aggressive defensive game from his Syracuse days.

Waiters has the potential to be Irving’s No. 2 man and the duo could develop a great chemistry on the court. Perhaps Waiters and Irving could be the next great guard combo in the NBA. Both men are young and will continue to get better. Irving demonstrated his finesse at the All-Star weekend and Waiters is showing it now.

We have witnessed glimpses of Waiters’ progress in his rookie season but as his playing time increases, one thing is for sure, Dion Waiters is ready to break out.