Heat's Dion Waiters Says He's 'In a Great Place' amid Suspension

Despite being out with a suspension, Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters is upbeat about his mental state.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I'm in a great place," he said, per Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com.

Waiters was suspended for 10 games without pay after consuming a THC-infused edible on a team flight, resulting in a panic attack, per ESPN. He was also suspended for the team's opener for conduct detrimental to the team and is yet to play in the 2019-20 season.

The missed time will also cost him a $1.2 million bonus that he could have received for playing in at least 70 games.

The 27-year-old believes this will serve as a learning experience to help him going forward:

"I can only control what I can control at the end of the day, so some things you just can’t allow to take your head the other way, some things happen for a reason. If you stay locked in, if you believe and trust in yourself, trust in the work you put in, you know, it’s a minor setback. It happens. It’s life. You learn from it. The only thing I can do is move forward. Stay focused. Stay even-keeled. Let everything else take care of itself."

Waiters visited his alma mater Saturday to watch Syracuse take on Seattle, using the time off to visit former coach Jim Boeheim.

"I know that's a person who will always be there for me if I ever need anything," he said of Boeheim.

The veteran will hope this meeting and the time off will allow him to get his career back on track after a rough start to the season.

Waiters signed a four-year, $52 million deal in 2017 after proving to be a key part of the Heat's future, but he's only played 74 total games since the start of the 2017-18 season.