When the Cavaliers selected Dion Waiters with the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, many thought that they had made a mistake. However, despite a rocky start to his career in the summer league and preseason, Waiters looked impressive in Cavs' 94-84 win over the Wizards. Waiters put up 17 points to finish as Cleveland's second leading scorer, and appeared to work well with back court mate Kyrie Irving. The two combined for the team's first 17 points to open the second half.
Waiters, a guard out of Syracuse, was also starting his first game since high school, as he worked as a sixth man for the Orange. He had the ball in his hands for significant stretches of the game, which is somewhat surprising considering how good Irving is, but to his credit, Irving seems to see the value of having multiple capable ball handlers:
"Having two guys out there being aggressive on the ball, he has the ability to create his own shot, that just opens more lanes for me," Irving said before the game. "I don’t mind going off the ball. I’m looking forward to it."
The Cavs play next on Friday night, when they host the Chicago Bulls.