Dwyane Wade: Can His Resurgence Lead Heat to the Playoffs?

By Evan Massey | Mar 20, 2015

Mar 13, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) during their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Heat 102-92. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Can Dwyane Wade’s return to superstardom power his Miami Heat to the NBA Playoffs this season?

Over the past couple of seasons, Dwyane Wade had been wrecked by injury issues. His knees seemed to never be healthy, and he was unable to be a huge factor down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs. All of that has changed this season, as it appears that he is back to being his former superstar self.

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Wade has averaged 21.8 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game this season. Those numbers have skyrocketed to 27.5 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game in the month of March alone.

He has scored 32 points in each of his last two games, and they were big wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. Wade is playing at a level that he hasn’t played at in a few years, and it is coming at exactly the right time. Miami is currently sitting in the seventh seed of the Eastern Conference playoff race, but they are battling with the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and Charlotte Hornets for the final two playoff seeds.

The question now becomes, can Wade’s recent resurgence power to the Heat into the playoffs?

Quite simply, the answer to that question is yes. Wade has done it before, and he can do it again assuming his health continues to cooperate. He is playing a dominant brand of basketball, and he has the type of team built around him that can help him continue the dominant play that he has been showing.

At 33 years old, Wade is playing like he did back in his prime this month. Goran Dragic has fit perfectly alongside of Wade, and that could be one of the reasons that he has been playing so well. Having a second star guard in the lineup has allowed Wade to do less work while scoring at a high level.

Dwyane Wade is looking like his old self. Wade averages 29.8 PPG in last 6 games. pic.twitter.com/jAmDgxCzI8
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 19, 2015

Not only has Dragic been brought in to help make Wade the player that he has been, there are a few other players that fit perfectly around him. Hassan Whiteside is exactly the type of dominant center that the Heat have needed this season. Adding in Luol Deng and even Bill Walker to a point, and the Heat have made the right moves to build the type of roster that can compete in the playoffs.

Obviously everything depends on whether or not Wade’s body can keep up with the effort and energy that he is leaving on the court each and every night.

While Wade’s averages have been impressive this season, his shooting percentages have been just as impressive if not more. He is coming off of playing alongside of LeBron James which made his shooting percentages go up instantly, but is still shooting 48.1 percent from the floor overall and 28.0 percent from behind the arc.

To show why James was so valuable for Wade’s percentages, he has had to take an average of three more shots per game this season than he did last year.

Miami has the talent to not just make it into the playoffs, but give a higher seed a run for their money. If Wade continues playing the superstar caliber basketball that he has been playing, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see them end up upsetting their first-round opponent. Pat Riley has done an amazing job of reconstructing a team around Wade following James’ departure last offseason.

Some of the credit also has to go to head coach Erick Spoelstra, as he has figured out how to put everyone in the best position for them to succeed. He is very patient with Wade and has done his best to give him rest whenever possible this season. Keeping Wade’s knees fresh is the Heat’s main concern for the remainder of the regular season.

All of that being said, there are still concerns surrounding his health looking ahead at the grueling playoff schedule.

No matter what ends up happening, this run from Wade has been impressive and he is showing that he is still one of the elite stars in the NBA when he’s able to consistently stay on the court. Miami looks to be one of the main contenders for one of the final two playoff spots in the conference. Even though their chances look good, they are going to need Wade to stay on the court and continue playing the aggressive basketball that he has been this entire month.

Assuming Wade does stay healthy and continues playing at a superstar level, there is no question that he will end up leading the Heat to the postseason.

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