Ellington shooting for a cause
Guard hopes Twitter campaign boosts his 3-point contest hopes
TORONTO — Wayne Ellington wants in. And the Miami Heat want him in, including team owner Micky Arison, who has lent his Twitter account to the #WE2LA cause.
As in get Wayne Ellington to Los Angeles for the 3-point contest during All-Star Weekend.
Because for as much as Ellington has accomplished from distance during his nine-season NBA career, a spot in the annual shooting contest has not been part of that list.
“I never felt like I thought I should have been,” Ellington said of previous All-Star Weekends. “But I’ve never gotten the opportunity as much as I’ve been here with Miami.”
By percentage, Ellington exited Sunday’s victory over the Utah Jazz ranked 23rd in the league at .417. But in terms of conversions, he stood fifth, at 113. Of those with 100 or more, he had the NBA’s third best percentage.
Undeniable is the respect he has earned from opponents, to the degree that even while tucked in the corner, he had the full attention of the Jazz during Sunday’s decisive sequence, when Josh Richardson drove for the winning basket.
“I feel like I’m doing my job when that happens,” he said. “When I come off somebody hard and they fake it to me and they get a wide open layup, I’m doing my job.”
Ellington’s success level with the Heat has been undeniable. His 262 3-pointers in his 101 games with the Heat over the past two seasons are the most in team history through a player’s first 101 games, 29 more than Tim Hardaway’s 233 in his first 101 games. In addition, Ellington’s 259 3-pointers in his first 100 games with the team were the most by a Heat player in any 100-game stretch over the franchise’s 30 seasons.
So if not now to the 3-point contest, then when?
“I wouldn’t say I’ve watched in envy,” he said, with the Heat turning their attention to tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. “I always watch like, ‘Man, I want to get the opportunity one day.’ ”
The NBA often attempts to get at least one representative from teams, whenever possible, to AllStar Weekend, with it unlikely the Heat place a player in the All-Star Game due to their ensemble approach. And with reduced minutes likely to keep Bam Adebayo out of the Rookie Game, the 3-point contest during All-Star Saturday could be the Heat’s best chance for representation.
Thus: #WE2LA.
The Heat have had six previous representatives to the 3-point contest. Jon Sundvold represented the franchise in its first two seasons, placing fifth in 1989 and third in 1990. Glen Rice then placed seventh in 1991 and won in 1995. Jason Kapono won in 2007. Daequan Cook then won in 2009 and placed in a tie for fourth in 2010. From there, James Jones won in 2011 and placed third in 2012, with Mario Chalmers fourth that year.
In other words, this has been a franchise that has played to win in the competition.
Asked if he would like to be next, Ellington said, “absolutely.”
The irony is that it has been constant movement that has led to Ellington’s 3-point renaissance these past two seasons, constant running defenders off screens, rarely not racing toward a quick-trigger release. In the contest, it is as simple as standstill shooting and then moving purposefully between five ball racks.
Don’t worry, the softspoken 30-year-old said, he can maintain his sweet spot with such an approach, as well.
“I mean, I work on that every day, just standing still, catch and shoot from one spot,” he said. “So I think I’m pretty good at it.”