Wayne Ellington now drawing pro respect in North Carolina, as well

The affection in North Carolina endures because of the 2009 NCAA championship Wayne Ellington helped deliver to the Tar Heels. But there also is a growing appreciation for the Miami Heat guard's professional resume, as well.

In advance of Saturday night's game against the Heat at the Spectrum Center, Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford pointed to Ellington as an example of still finding ways to grow nine seasons into his NBA career.

"In practice yesterday," he said at Saturday morning's shootaround, "I think it was Dwayne [Bacon] and Treveon [Graham], and I said, he's a great example of a guy who stays with it. You can tell watching him, he knows what his game is.

"But in all aspects -- he's quicker, he's stronger. But also his game, He's always been a terrific shooter. He now he plays at even a faster pace. When he was younger, if you left him alone, he was going to knock it down. If he made a cut off a pin-down, and you weren't there, he knocked it down. Now, he's sprinting into those shots."

Ellington has trimmed his body fat significantly since signing with the Heat in the 2015 offseason.

"You can just tell from what he's done," Clifford said, "this guy must be a great worker -- very professional, and he's taken his strengths and made them even greater strengths. To this point, to me, he's been one of the big stories in the East.

"With the injuries they've had, for them to continue to play that way, and you look at his role, you look at the box score, and he's played 32 or 33 minutes."

Clifford said Ellington has made himself into a teaching point.

"I think its a good testament to young players. There's a lot of stories," Clifford said. "What did he do? He worked, and he got a lot better."

Ellington will be a free agent in the offseason, with the Hornets in need of shooting.

Spoelstra, too

A day after Heat coach Erik Spoelstra embraced the return of Clifford following a sabbatical to deal with headaches and what was diagnosed as sleep deprivation, the Hornets coach offered his own appreciation of Spoelstra.

"He maxes out his roster," Clifford said. "I watch them play, and as much as anybody, they play every night. There's purpose to what they do. And I think each guy has a role and they buy into their role.

"And they play their game. They're on the attack. They're on the attack. They are smart defensively. And they don't give many possessions away. I guess simplistically, it's, 'Hard and smart,' but in general, without being there every day, it's maxing out what talent that they have."

iwinderman@sunsentinel.com. Follow him at twitter.com/iraheatbeat or facebook.com/ira.winderman

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