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The 76ers Should Make a Run At Dion Waiters This Summer

By Isaiah Rhodes

May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (3) drives to the basket as Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights (5) defends during the second quarter in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (3) drives to the basket as Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights (5) defends during the second quarter in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers are in need of veteran guard this offseason, and the 2016 playoffs have highlighted Dion Waiters who could help.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on a torrid championship run as we speak, and Dion Waiters‘ contributions as a sixth man have not gone unnoticed. When he enters free agency this summer, Waiters and the Philadelphia 76ers could be a perfect match.

Philadelphia is in need of both consistent guard play and leadership. One may not equate Dion Waiters to leadership in the purest sense of the word, but paring with the Sixers would give Waiters an opportunity to freely showcase his offensive skills, while imparting his winning experiences on a young Sixers roster that could only imagine Waiters’ last two seasons with the Thunder.

Coming out of Syracuse, the Philadelphia native was very headstrong and played with a visible chip on his shoulder. He had and innate ability to score, but his inefficiency could force coaches to pull their hair out, which ultimately clashed with backcourt mate Kyrie Irving as they were both learning the ways of the NBA.

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After two and half seasons of losing and chemistry issues with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Waiters was traded to the Thunder last season with the hopes to help Russell Westbrook carry the scoring load for the injured Kevin Durant. Although the Thunder fell just short of the playoffs in 2015, Waiters proved to be a second playmaker and confident scorer on the perimeter averaging 12.7 points per game in support of the ball dominant Westbrook.

As the 2015-16 season took form Waiters fell in line with Westbrook and a now healthy Durant as the Thunder finished third in a top heavy Western Conference. While the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs stole headlines for their historic seasons, the Thunder were a dark horse because of their deep pool of talent and versatility.

Throughout these playoffs, Waiters has proven to be a consistent defender and a reliable scorer in high pressured situations. Whether it be against the experienced Spurs in the semifinals or against the Warriors in the conference fInals, Waiters has played fearlessly, becoming a linchpin in the Thunder’s game plan. He is averaging 9.5 points per game in the playoffs, while also  providing a third facilitator in the offense with 2.3 assists per game. For his career Waiters has averaged 12.8 points for his career, but his upside is he’s only 24 years of age, and he has never truly had an opportunity to start.

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When Waiters becomes a restricted free agent this summer, the Thunder will have an opportunity to match any deal, and while I’m sure he would love to remain as key role player on a winning team in Oklahoma City, Philadelphia has a pool of young talent (Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor) looking to find there way. Maybe Waiters could provide Philly with some punch.