Miami’s versatile stretch big with legit two-way juice
Sam Waardenburg brings a rare blend of size, shooting, and rebounding for Miami, and in the 2021-22 season he averaged 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and shot 41.8% from three while starting 34 games[4]. What makes him interesting goes beyond the box score: he was a steady, high-IQ frontcourt piece who could space the floor, move the ball, and protect the rim, with a career-high 47 blocks in 2021-22[4]. He also dealt with injury interruptions earlier in his Miami career, so durability was part of the evaluation, but when healthy he looked like a plug-and-play modern forward[1][4].
