Syracuse Basketball: Dion Waiters is back in action – and terrific

The NBA returns to action and so does former Syracuse basketball star, Dion Waiters. We have all the details on his debut with his new squad.

The NBA resumed on Thursday night, marking the restart for five former Syracuse basketball players, including Dion Waiters. Two games highlighted the reboot, including an exciting battle between in-town Los Angeles rivals the Lakers and the Clippers.

This year’s NBA season has been one to go down in history after COVID-19 led to a shutdown and an unprecedented schedule set in a bubble in Orlando, Fla. With the ups and downs this season, the league is ready to finish off the year. And at the top of the standings in 2020 have been the Los Angeles Lakers.

Before the season was put on pause, Dion Waiters was signed by LA after he was released following a tumultuous start to the season with Miami. But despite being added, Waiters had not seen action with the purple and gold before the shutdown. Those familiar with Waiters are aware of the off-court issues this season that have kept him from suiting up. But now it’s time to focus on his production on the floor once again. On Thursday night, he suited up for just his fourth game of the season, and he performed admirably.

While he came off the bench, he provided a needed scoring threat.

Dion Waiters’ stats on July 30, 2020:

• 21 minutes
• 11 points
• 3 rebounds
• 2 assists

One main reason Waiters could be a factor down the stretch is the team’s loss of Avery Bradley. Bradley opted out of the restart, so the team signed JR Smith and previously signed Waiters to fill his spot. However, at that time they might not have realized how valuable having Dion on the roster would be. His ability to score off the bench is something the Lakers were missing and could be pivotal heading towards a title chance this season.

For Syracuse basketball fans wanting to see Waiters, the Lakers’ next game is Saturday night against the Raptors at 8:30 pm EST.