National Basketball Association

Waiters on what he likes about OKC: 'They give me the ball'

Published Jan. 21, 2015 3:17 p.m. ET

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Dion Waiters hasn't been with the Thunder long, but it's clear the former Cleveland shooting guard is feeling pretty comfortable.

Already, Waiters has become the first player off the bench for coach Scott Brooks, averaging more than 27 minutes from there and replacing Reggie Jackson as the team's sixth man. Waiters has not played fewer than 21 minutes in any of his games with the Thunder this season.

But Waiters has expressed his pleasure at being in Oklahoma City not just because of his playing time, but because he's actually getting the ball.

A lot.

"They give me the ball," Waiters told Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. "Like, I touch the ball. Like, I actually, like, you know, touch the ball."

Waiters went on to say, "We got a great group of guys on this team who (are) very unselfish and they want you to be successful, so I think I came into a great situation."

Waiters was often seen calling for the ball unsuccessfully at Cleveland, but he seems to be much more content in Oklahoma City.

Waiters is shooting 45 percent with the Thunder through six games, compared with 40 percent in Cleveland. He's averaging 14.4 points per game with the Thunder, compared with 10.5 with the Cavs, and that includes a one-for-nine showing Tuesday against the Heat, a 94-86 Thunder victory.

Conspiracy theorists might try to extrapolate more. After Tuesday's game at Miami, Waiters was seen talking with Miami's Dwyane Wade. Wade and Waiters both played alongside LeBron James, separately -- Waiters in Cleveland and Wade in Miami.

Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK

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