Wayne Ellington a real barometer for the Miami Heat

Despite having a slow start to the season, Wayne Ellington still remains an integral ingredient for the success of the Miami Heat.

After an impressive display against the Los Angeles Clippers, shooting guard Wayne Ellington once again demonstrated his importance to the Miami Heat.

Entering the game averaging just 5.0 points per game, Ellington connected on 5-of-9 from 3-point range on his way to 17 points as the Heat pulled out a crucial road win.

It’s been somewhat of a sluggish start for Ellington this season, who has already had three scoreless games, and was averaging just 14.1 minutes per game over his first eight games of the season.

This is a real contrast to last season, when Ellington averaged a career-high 10.5 points in 24.2 minutes per game. Known primarily for his long range shooting, Ellington last season also connected on a career-best 2.4 3-pointers made per game, while converting at a 37.8 percent clip.

However, this season has seen the Heat with a full bill of health aside from swingman Rodney McGruder, who’s sidelined indefinitely with a leg stress fracture. This is in contrast to last season when multiple players on the Heat roster, including Ellington himself, missed large chunks of the season due to various ailments.

So with a glut of players at the 2 and 3 spots, Ellington appears to have been the odd man out on several occasions already this season. But as he has demonstrated previously, his production can be a great determinant in the success of the Heat.

Last season, Ellington produced eight games of connecting on five or more 3-pointers. Notably, the Heat recorded a 7-1 record over this span. So far this season, the Heat are 2-0 when Ellington has hit five or more 3-pointers. His previous time this season came when he hit all six of his 3-pointers in the second period on the way to scoring 20 points during the Heat’s 104-93 home win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Ellington’s ability to work off the ball and get off his shot is matched by few players in the league. Last season, Ellington ranked 19th in the league in 3-point attempts, and averaged the least amount of minutes for any player ranked in the Top 20.

Furthermore, it’s can simply be Ellington’s perimeter presence that can be a positive for the Heat. Over the 31 games last season in which Ellington attempted seven or more 3-pointers, the Heat posted a 20-11 record.

Following his most recent performance against the Clippers, Ellington explained his thoughts heading into the contest:

"“Tyler [Johnson] and myself were upset that we didn’t contribute the way we could have in the last game …. we watched film, and we talked about it, and we made a conscious effort that we were going to be better, and be ourselves. And that’s the way we approached the game tonight.”"

The Nuggets game, which Ellington referenced, saw him play just 12 minutes, missing on all four of his field goal attempts. This game marked the fifth time already this season that Ellington has played 15 minutes or less, after occurring on just eight occasions throughout the entirety of last season.

Having now split their opening pair of road games 1-1, the Heat now head to Oakland to take on the defending champion Golden State Warriors. With the status of starting shooting guard Dion Waiters uncertain at this stage due to the arrival of his daughter, Ellington could very well be called upon to repeat his efforts against the Clippers.

And who knows? He may even repeat the rare dunk he performed this past game on the break:

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/927288222715060224

Next: 2017-18 Week 4 NBA Power Rankings

While that’s unlikely, the Heat will be comfortable in the knowledge that Ellington will be up for any challenge that presents itself.