Miami Heat: A firing Dwyane Wade is vital after recent struggles

Now that the fairytale return has subsided, the Miami Heat need Dwyane Wade to rediscover his game on the eve of the postseason.

No one was expecting miracles from Dwyane Wade when he made his highly anticipated return to South Beach as the Miami Heat prepared for a march toward the postseason.

However, the recent output from the greatest player in franchise history has certainly been underwhelming.

Wade’s early signs upon returning to Miami were highly promising and all the more impressive considering he was having to adapt on the fly with several new teammates midway through the season. This form was capped by his stunning 15-point, final five minutes of the Heat’s 102-101 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

With the ball in hands and the Heat trailing by one, Wade did what only Wade knows best:

https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/968684168057118720

Following some more impressive performances after this memorable one, here’s how Wade’s numbers looked through his first 11 games back in a Heat uniform:

• 14.2 PPG
• 4.1 RPG
• 2.7 APG
• 23.4 MPG
• 44.9 FG%
• Usage rate: 30.0
• Offensive rating: 105.0
• Defensive rating: 104.6

From his epic Feb. 27 performance against the Sixers through to his next encounter with them on March 8, Wade had scored in double figures in six consecutive games, which included three games of 22+ points.

However, at 36 years old and in his 15th season, Wade has not been able to sustain this same level of output. Wade’s fortunes begin to sour the game following his latest Sixers encounter, a March 10 defeat of the Washington Wizards.

Having struggled in his 15 minutes on court by posting eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, Wade pinged a hamstring and would be sidelined for the next 13 days. Including this Wizards game, here’s how Wade’s numbers have appeared by comparison over the last nine games:

• 9.4 PPG
• 3.7 APG
• 2.9 RPG
• 35.1 FG%
• 20.0 3P%
• Usage rate: 28.4
• Offensive rating: 93.4
• Defensive rating: 106.0

Considering he’s led the team in usage rate since his return, when Wade’s efficiency suffers, this only serves to hurt the team immensely. Futhermore, and whether rightly or wrongly, the faith shown in Wade by head coach Erik Spoelstra can sometimes be to the detriment of the team.

Recently, Spoelstra outlined his unwavering faith in Wade’s abilities:

"“I’ll say this always, I’ll go to my grave — and I will go to my grave — with Dwyane Wade shooting with the game on the line.“I have always believed in that man. It’s like that country song, ‘I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.’ And I truly believe that about Dwyane. He might not be able to play the role that he did for us in 2008 and ’09, playing 40 minutes and then I would ask him to play the best player and defend on the other end, as well. But for 20 to 25 minutes, I think he can be every bit of who he used to be, just in compact minutes.”"

However, following a recent loss to the lowly Brooklyn Nets in which Wade was 2-of-6 in clutch time (five minutes or less remaining with the difference being five points or less,) Miami media identity Dan Le Batard noted the following:

"“At the end of that game, that game against the Nets was lost because the Miami Heat were just Wade, Wade, Wade, Wade, Wade, Wade at the end.”"

These comments from Le Batard cannot be restricted solely to the Nets game. Since March 10, in clutch situations, Wade has recorded a -26.9 net rating, the worst of the 10 players the Heat have sent on the floor during this span.

So while Wade will certainly have his moments like the aforementioned Sixers game, these types of performances are going to be needed on a more regular basis considering the immense faith Spoelstra has placed in Wade, both now and going back over time.

So on the eve of another playoff run for the Heat, does Wade have one epic postseason left in him?

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If his usage rate remains the same, along with the faith of Spoelstra, it seems a fair bet the Heat’s fortunes are going to live and die in D-Wade’s hands.