Now that the dust has settled on the Miami Heat's season its time to look ahead at what's next for star guard Dwyane Wade.
If Wade wants to figure out what element he can add to his game this offseason, he simply has to look at the number on his jersey.
While Pat Riley and the Heat front office figure out how to pay Hassan Whiteside, manage Chris Bosh's health issues and keep the team competitive, there's only one thing for Wade to do.
Yes, Dwyane, its time for you to develop a consistent three-point shot.
At 34, Wade had a resurgent season with the Heat after many basketball analysts wondered if he could play at a high level at this stage in his career.
In his 13th NBA season, Wade averaged 19 points, four rebounds, and nearly five assists per game.
More importantly, he avoided the injury bug that has plagued him throughout his career. Wade played in 74 games, his most since the 2010-11 season. That's notable especially after team president Pat Riley publicly challenged Wade to "change the narrative" on his career after Wade appeared in just 62 games in 2014-15 and 54 games the season prior.
But as Wade enters the tail-end of his career, there is still another narrative to change.
Check out these numbers: Wade is a career 28.6 percent three-point shooter. In the regular season, he shot a dismal 15.9 percent in a league where the three-ball is the trending topic (thanks Golden State Warriors).
But in this year's playoffs Wade flashed the ability to knock down shots from downtown. In fact, he drained 12 of 23 threes in 14 playoff games despite making just seven in the regular season. His shot was so effective in the playoffs, Riley couldn't help but notice. Here's the full quote reported by the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson from Riley's press conference Tuesday:
"The threes I saw him make, every time he lifted and released, I said, this has a got a chance. And the ones before, when he was jacking them up, they had no chance. He is going to need that a little bit, too, next year. Maybe he could become a 40 percent, 38 percent three-point shooter. I wouldn't give him an open look. Once he went to work with the coaches on it, that shot, if he had to take it, was normal. That would be a big added part of his game next year because nobody ever thinks he can do that."
That's Riley way of challenging Wade to become a better three-point shooter.
For Wade, his phenomenal athleticism and ability to attack the basket throughout his career has overshadowed his mediocre three point shot.
But as he loses a bit of that athletic ability, a consistent three-point shot could extend his career and keep those paychecks coming.
Think its too late for Wade to learn a new trick?
Consider this, Michael Jordan never made more than 19 percent of his three's during each of his first four season in the NBA. But the "GOAT" ended his career shooting 32.7 percent beyond the arc.
If Wade wants to figure out what element he can add to his game this offseason, he simply has to look at the number on his jersey.
While Pat Riley and the Heat front office figure out how to pay Hassan Whiteside, manage Chris Bosh's health issues and keep the team competitive, there's only one thing for Wade to do.
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| Dwyane Wade |
At 34, Wade had a resurgent season with the Heat after many basketball analysts wondered if he could play at a high level at this stage in his career.
In his 13th NBA season, Wade averaged 19 points, four rebounds, and nearly five assists per game.
More importantly, he avoided the injury bug that has plagued him throughout his career. Wade played in 74 games, his most since the 2010-11 season. That's notable especially after team president Pat Riley publicly challenged Wade to "change the narrative" on his career after Wade appeared in just 62 games in 2014-15 and 54 games the season prior.
But as Wade enters the tail-end of his career, there is still another narrative to change.
Check out these numbers: Wade is a career 28.6 percent three-point shooter. In the regular season, he shot a dismal 15.9 percent in a league where the three-ball is the trending topic (thanks Golden State Warriors).
But in this year's playoffs Wade flashed the ability to knock down shots from downtown. In fact, he drained 12 of 23 threes in 14 playoff games despite making just seven in the regular season. His shot was so effective in the playoffs, Riley couldn't help but notice. Here's the full quote reported by the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson from Riley's press conference Tuesday:
"The threes I saw him make, every time he lifted and released, I said, this has a got a chance. And the ones before, when he was jacking them up, they had no chance. He is going to need that a little bit, too, next year. Maybe he could become a 40 percent, 38 percent three-point shooter. I wouldn't give him an open look. Once he went to work with the coaches on it, that shot, if he had to take it, was normal. That would be a big added part of his game next year because nobody ever thinks he can do that."
That's Riley way of challenging Wade to become a better three-point shooter.
For Wade, his phenomenal athleticism and ability to attack the basket throughout his career has overshadowed his mediocre three point shot.
But as he loses a bit of that athletic ability, a consistent three-point shot could extend his career and keep those paychecks coming.
Think its too late for Wade to learn a new trick?
Consider this, Michael Jordan never made more than 19 percent of his three's during each of his first four season in the NBA. But the "GOAT" ended his career shooting 32.7 percent beyond the arc.
nice read.
ReplyDelete-Charles
Thanks for reading Charles.
ReplyDelete