Dion Waiters has a lot of history with LeBron James. They were teammates together during the first half of the 2014-15 NBA season, a time in Waiters career he probably won't look back on too much. Dion found himself calling for the ball a whole bunch of times and not fitting in with the Cavaliers newfound chemistry with the Kid From Akron in town. This lead to a three way trade where Mr. Waiters ended up on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the LeBron-Dion chemistry was non existent, two years later Waiters is appreciative of what King James is doing.
And it seems he has gotten over the whole Cleveland saga. The Miami Heat star recently appeared on ESPN's First Take to discuss the NBA and the current playoffs which are going on. He talked about LeBron's playoff run this year during the show.
Waiters picks his 2017 playoff MVP
During a guest appearance on ESPN First Take, Dion Waiters and crew were thrown the question of 'Who has been the MVP of the playoffs so far?'. They discussed this question and Dion Waiters had his own opinion on it. Dion said, "I got to go with LeBron man, he's just been so dominant, he's so comfortable and he's having fun... LeBron right now, he's on a mission, it's so easy for him. He's so comfortable, he's smiling, he's having fun, enjoying it and it's kinda hard to beat him at that type of level right there."
This is a strong statement from a guy who in the past hasn't appeared to be very fond of LeBron James.
But it's clear to see the respect that he has for one of the NBA's all time greats. And the appreciation for the extraordinary playoffs that the King is in the midst of. Waiters also brought up the historic game that the Cleveland Cavaliers endured against the Indiana Pacers in game three of the first round, a game where LeBron led his team to the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history, saying "They was down 26 (against the Pacers)...
he's been dominant". King James may be finally receiving the respect he deserves from Dion Waiters.
Dion has turned his career around
This season was a breakout season for Dion Waiters. He also had high potential throughout his career, but he hadn't blossomed the way he would've like to until this 2016-17 season with the Miami Heat.
This season with the Heatles, Waiters averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. Having himself his best season of his young career. DW also had a few great performances against great competition including the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers. At this point what he has to say holds strong validity, which is why his case for LeBron as the playoff MVP is something we should listen to.