There is no question that Dwyane Wade is one of the all time greats of the NBA, and will be inducted in Springfield soon after he retires.
He’s a 12 time All Star, a three time champion, and you can make the argument he is the third best shooting guard in history behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Right now, he is showing he still can be an important player for a title contender as one of the best sixth men in the NBA with the Cavaliers.
Wade has embraced the role, which is something legends sometimes can’t accept. For example, can anyone imagine Bryant doing for any team what Wade is doing for the Cavs?
His minutes have dropped to about 24 per game, and his scoring average is now a little better (11.9) than half of his career mark of 23.0
Right now, his shooting percentage is his highest since 2014-15, and his three point shot is better than its ever been, at 35.7% to date, compared to 28.8% for his career.
His assists are right on par with last season in Chicago, even though he’s playing six minutes less per game, and the defensive metrics show him as one of the three best defenders for the wine and gold.
While the numbers are solid, the best way to appreciate what Wade is doing for Tyronn Lue’s team is using your eyes.
Wade consistently makes the right pass, the right defensive rotation, gets key block shots, etc. As we write this, it would seem to make total sense, because as we said earlier, he’s an all time great, but remember, fans in northeast Ohio are watching him on a night in, night out basis for the first time.
We first saw Wade in person when he led Marquette to the Final Four in New Orleans, and our first impression was he had an old school game, with a tremendous ability to hit the mid range jumper, a skill that was diminishing in the game.
Remember, through the first 12 games of this season, the Cavaliers looked like an old basketball team. Younger teams ran up and down the floor, getting easy transition baskets.
Since then, the Cavs have reeled off 13 straight victories, and the second unit, led by Wade and Kyle Korver, both 36 years old, have been a huge key.
Cleveland’s two leading scorers are LeBron James (28.0) and Kevin Love (19.2). Among players who have played in more than half the Cavs’ games, the next three leaders in scoring are Wade (11.9), Korver (10.3) and Jeff Green (10.2).
When James is sitting out, many times the bench has extended the lead, which is a huge difference from past years.
Heck, in last year’s NBA Finals, the Cavaliers were pretty much even with Golden State when James was on the floor, but when James was out, the Warriors owned a huge advantage.
Because of the production from the bench, the starting lineup could use Isaiah Thomas’ scoring when he returns in the next week or so. Cleveland has struggled in games early because JR Smith and Jae Crowder have been inconsistent with their shots.
Our hope with Wade is that Lue doesn’t react to his play and start increasing his minutes. Keep the long range goal in mind. Leave Wade at around 24 minutes per night, and if you need to increase that slightly in the playoffs, then fine.
He can be quite a weapon if healthy when the playoffs come around.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 