Dwyane Wade has thrived as the second option for the Miami Heat. Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule
One of the biggest stories of last year’s playoffs was the growth of LeBron James as he led the Miami Heat to the NBA championship. James had been known as the best player in the NBA for some time, but after a few disappointing playoff performances, the notion persisted that he wasn’t a real leader and the true leader of the Miami Heat was Dwyane Wade.
That notion came to a screeching halt once the playoffs were over. LeBron put together countless amazing performances (including his unforgettable performance in Game 6 of Eastern Conference Finals when he put in 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists) and in the process, killed the notion that he was a choke artist once and for all. This meant that James wasn’t just the most talented player on the Heat, but in fact the most valuable one as well. As a result, Wade had officially moved into the “Scottie Pippen” role as the sidekick to a great team’s fearless leader.
After a year, we’ve accepted that and in the process, we may have forgotten just how good Wade really is. In recent years, Wade’s raw scoring averages have steadily declined, going from 30.2 points per game in 2008-09 to 21.5 so far this season. To the casual fan, this might represent a decline in Wade’s game. Maybe in his 10th year in the league, he just doesn’t have the same killer instinct, right?
Not at all.
Wade has actually been playing the best basketball of his career. He’s shooting a career-high .517 from the field and continues to be one of the most efficient offensive players in the league. Having James become the focal point of the Heat’s offense may be the best thing that’s ever happened to Wade. It means that teams don’t pay as much attention to him, allowing him to become deadlier than he’s ever been. In that sense, Wade is something of a decoy. With James in the midst of yet another MVP-caliber season, he’s going to be the player other teams prepare for the most. Granted, they are going to prepare for Wade, too, but they’re always going to watch more film of James and focus more on trying to render him ineffective. But even if they can prevent James from being his usual deadly self, that just increases the odds that Wade will quietly do damage and end up with an easy 25 points.
Just look at what happened in the Heat’s victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, March 1. James struggled on mightily on the offensive end, winding up with a season-low 13 points, with only four in the first three quarters. In spite of James’ offensive woes, the Heat still emerged triumphant and Wade played a huge part in that. He ended up with 22 points on 9-for-16 from the field and he chipped in eight assists as well. The Grizzlies were able to take down the Heat’s primary weapon, but they still fell short because they were unable to stop the secondary threat.
Of course, this is why the alliance of James and Wade was met with so much anger back in 2010. It’s hard when you have to stop two players who are each this good. Yes, James is the better player, but Wade is still one of the 10 best in the league. Now that he’s a officially become a second option, it’s easy to forget what an excellent player he really is. But if you think becoming a sidekick signifies the decline of Wade’s career, think again. In reality, it means he’s been able to be more efficient than ever and find new ways to carve up opponents.