NBA Free Agency Player Profile: Dion Waiters

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May 22, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (3) reacts with fans during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game three of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Weaknesses

Waiters has raw ability, but he does not have efficiency. He shot under 40 percent from the field last season, which is fairly atrocious shot-making. Some of that is due to all the threes Waiters takes, but much of it has to do with his low 42.1 percent mark from two-point range.

Waiters shoots a lot of long twos, which are essentially the least efficient shot in the game. By simply taking a few steps forward or backwards on some of those shot attempts, Dion’s advanced numbers might look better.

Right now they’re awful. Waiters has never hit 100 in offensive rating for a single season, meaning he scores under one point per possession on offense. Value over replacement player and box plus/minus have Waiters as a negative contributor to his team in each of his NBA seasons.

A lack of efficiency and consistent defense explains those numbers. Waiters isn’t unathletic and he looked better on both offense and defense in the postseason, but four years is a more useful sample size than 18 games.

There is upside to Dion Waiters’ game, but a lot of it has yet to be realized.

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