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Kendrick Perkins Vouches For Dion Waiters
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
When four-time MVP LeBron James announced his decision to leave the Miami HEAT and sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent last summer, the expectation was that shooting guard Dion Waiters would be a key part of the team’s future.
However, things quickly soured between Waiters and the Cavaliers this season, which led to the guard being dealt to Oklahoma City in a three-team trade earlier this month.
Since Waiters has gained a reputation for having an attitude problem and generally being hard to work with, it wasn’t surprising to see speculation immediately focus on how he would fit with the Thunder – in a presumably more limited role.
However, Thunder veteran center Kendrick Perkins says he hasn’t witnessed any of the negative stuff surrounding Waiters since he arrived to Oklahoma City and vouches for the guard’s work ethic.
“It doesn’t matter what you heard [in the media],” Perkins told Basketball Insiders on Waiters’ perceived reputation. “I’ve been impressed with his ability on the defensive end. The way he gets physical on the defensive end. The way he locks in. I have been more impressed with that. We already know he can score the ball. But I have been impressed with the commitment he’s shown on the defensive end.”
Waiters is averaging 11.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in seven games since joining the Thunder.
