23. Dion Waiters, Miami Heat
A fully healthy Dion Waiters leapfrogs the next couple of players, especially based on what we saw during the Miami Heat‘s red-hot second half of the 2016-17 season. That kind of clutch shot-maker, 3-point shooter and serviceable defender deserves to be ranked higher than 23rd on this kind of list.
However, that version of Waiters is rare, and may not be what we see in 2018-19 after he missed 52 games due to injury last year. Though he averaged 14.3 points per game in his 30 appearances, he also shot a dismal 39.8 percent from the floor and 30.6 percent from 3-point range.
This ranking splits the difference between the two, erring on the side of caution given Waiters’ inconsistent play, injury-proneness and the competition he’ll face for the starting job. Even with Josh Richardson starting as a 3, an improving Tyler Johnson, a returning Dwyane Wade or a Justise Winslow making the leap could make Erik Spoeltra’s wing rotation even more competitive.