Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Waiters takes next step on long road back
MIAMI — Dion Waiters returned to practice Tuesday with the Miami Heat for the first time since his January ankle surgery.
Coach Erik Spoelstra was quick to caution that it was not a full-contact practice, with the team declining to make Waiters available for comment until he completes such a session.
“He’s doing more work right now,” Spoelstra said after the session on the practice court at AmericanAirlines Arena. “He’s getting better, making progress.”
Waiters has not traveled with the team since his surgery and only this month has been on the bench during home games.
Asked if Waiters could return before the turn of the calendar, Spoelstra again declined to offer a timetable.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Right now it’s day-by-day evaluations, but he’s doing a lot more on the court, which is good.”
Waiters worked in a three-on-three modified fullcourt scrimmage following
Tuesday’s practice, joined by Wayne Ellington, Derrick Jones Jr., Hassan Whiteside, Bam Adebayo and James Johnson, among others. He previously had worked in private sessions with development coach Anthony Carter, including
during Heat trips.
Asked if a learning curve would remain, with the Heat having significantly changed rotations in Waiters’ absence, Spoelstra said, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. There’s been a lot of moving parts this season.”
Waiters has yet to play as a teammate of Dwayne Wade, who joined the Heat at February’s NBA trading deadline.
“It’s very encouraging,” Wade said after Tuesday’s session. “I think [Tuesday] was the first day that we were on the same unit. He has so much talent. He’s one of the guys that playing against him, I’ve seen the talent that he has on both ends of the floor. Then, obviously, I watched him when he was here and he was healthy, and he played very well.
“You want him to get back healthy, understanding that he can definitely help us with his ability to score, to make plays and defend. It’s going to take him a while to get to where he wants to get to, but he’s getting closer each day. It’s good to see him out
there.”
Waiters, 27, joined the Heat in the 2016 offseason after Wade had left in free agency for his hometown Chicago Bulls. His debut was so impressive that there were initial comparisons to Wade.
“He wants to be the next young me, he don’t want to be the old me,” Wade said with a laugh. “I’m fine. For me, it’s about passing things on to guys. To be able to get him back, it would be cool to be able to pass some of the things that I’ve learned in this game down to somebody who has the same abilities that I’ve had.
“He has so much talent. With the right leadership, the right mentality, and obviously health, he can definitely be one of the best two guards in this game. He’s still so young.”
Three sit: Three players were held out of Tuesday’s practice.
Justise Winslow remained sidelined after pulling himself out of the second half of Sunday’s road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans with ankle pain.
“He’s still doing treatment,” Spoelstra said. “He worked with his ankle.”
Also out was forward Josh Richardson.
“Just sore on his hip flexor,” Spoelstra said.
Goran Dragic remains out, having missed 12 of the last 14 games with a sore right knee.
The Heat do not play again until Thursday’s nationally televised game against the visiting Houston Rockets on TNT.
The team is not required to submit an official injury report detailing the status of its injured players until 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Whiteside’s world: Center Hassan Whiteside said it was heartwarming return home after his first trip following the birth of his son two weeks ago.
“It brings me inner peace,” he said. “He puts a smile on my face every day.”
He said he kept his conditioning despite missing four games before returning for the road victories over the Memphis Grizzlies and Pelicans.
“I feel great. I’m 260, 6.75-percent body fat,” he said. “I feel amazing. I’m in really good shape.”