Dion Waiters is one interesting ballplayer. But so far, he’s been a much better ballplayer with Kevin Durant in the lineup.
That stands to reason with anyone, of course. But in the nine games that Durant has played this season, Waiters has been a productive and efficient player: 10.8 points, 49 percent shooter, all kinds of things to be encouraged about.
In the six games Durant missed, Waiters was not efficient. In the six games Durant missed, Waiters looked like the kind of player that LeBron James would want to get rid of, which is apparently how LeBron felt.