After perhaps the greatest in-season turnaround in NBA history fell just short of a playoff berth, the Miami Heat may already be looking ahead to running it back with the same core next year.
Heat owner Micky Arison posted an Easter-themed selfie with Dion Waiters and James Johnson to Instagram on Friday with a caption hinting at the duo being a part of the team’s future.
Miami’s complete 180 from starting the year 11-30 to finishing it 30-11 would not have been possible without the contributions of both Waiters and Johnson to complement their nucleus of Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside. Waiters averaged 15.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game this season and thrived as one of the Heat’s primary dribble penetrators, shot makers, and crunchtime scorers. Meanwhile, Johnson, who put up 12.8 points, 4.9 boards, and 3.6 dimes a game (all career-highs), likely won some Sixth Man of the Year votes with his hustle, frontcourt playmaking, and defensive versatility.
Johnson will be a free agent in the summer, and Waiters, who has already expressed his desire to stay, is signed for relative pennies (holding a $3.5 million player option for 2016-17 that he seems almost certain to decline). That said, both guys sticking around in Miami sounds like a pretty good bet.
