Why do people think Wade is so reliant on athleticism?

[cyclix]

Without athleticism all Wade has is an elite midrange game. midrange jump shots are the least efficient shot one can take, they kill space, and they hurt the rhythm of the heats offense. The last two playoffs saw Wade become a liability on the floor for the heat as he became worn down by chronic injuries and could only. Yes wade had a good midrange game but the heat would have been better playing a role player who could have helped their spacing. the bigger problem is that wade missed a third of the regular season so he could manage to play well in the playoffs and he was only able to manage a handful of meaningful good games.

LMAO at this psd mlb *****. Wades ability to cut and play off ball is also impactful. And, his underrated post game is also being ignored. Wade has a refined post game and mixes alot of the different types of shots he takes (i.e up-and-under, hook shot, turnaround shot, etc..) and he's ambidextrous . So, the post game is probably more beneficial for him but you rarely hear of it on here. Plus, his IQ is off the charts. It has never been about skill with Wade like you guys are implying. It was always injuries.

[g105rick]

Wade's game is antiquated by today's standards.

A guard that can't shoot 3-pointers and relies on a streaky mid-range jump shot is not going to succeed without super-human athleticism(like a Bledsoe, for instance).

As a Spurs fan, I was not worried about Wade in either Finals' series, tbh. In 2013, his individual numbers were fine, but the Heat were significantly worse whenever he was on the floor, which is backed up by the stats. They were much better with Lebron + shooters stretching the floor, as it's much more efficient than having a high-usage player relying on mid-range jump shots and pump fakes.

In 2014, he was completely eliminated by Danny Green. His only success was against one of the worst defenders in the NBA, Marco Belinelli. His style of play without the athleticism just isn't suited for today's league.

It's going to be painful watching him as a #1 option this season IMO.

A 33-year old with a ton of mileage, above average athleticism, back and knee problems, and can't shoot 3-pointers is not a recipe for success in 2014.

Well said. Wade looked like a old guy trying to keep up. He can't even play to this imaginary, healthy potential in the playoffs while missing games in the regular season. How much much is he gonna suck with Lebron out and more minutes?

[Rob Diaz]

Well, that's the thing, people are ignoring the minutes and games he's going to play.

He needed to reduce his games to 50-60 last year and limit his overall minutes, just so he could stay relatively healthy in the playoffs. How is he going to do that this year when Miami is going to need him to play 70 games just to make the playoffs?

[DWadeno3]

His struggles are not a result of not compensating for his athletic decline. His struggles are more so a result of ongoing knee issues that hamper him no matter what. If you're a Heat fan, that's become pretty obvious by now. Wade's problem is a health issue, nothing else. Guys like Brandon Roy or Tracy McGrady were great players when they were healthy, but the older they got, the less did they play healthy and thus looked worse than they were.

[mhi]

His struggles are not a result of not compensating for his athletic decline. His struggles are more so a result of ongoing knee issues that hamper him no matter what. If you're a Heat fan, that's become pretty obvious by now. Wade's problem is a health issue, nothing else. Guys like Brandon Roy or Tracy McGrady were great players when they were healthy, but the older they got, the less did they play healthy and thus looked worse than they were.

Nailed it. He seems to only suck when his knees are bothering him. He should consider that German "regenokine knee surgery"; at least for a "longer relief" as his knee issues are frequently reoccurring.

[Sam6]

Without athleticism all Wade has is an elite midrange game. midrange jump shots are the least efficient shot one can take, they kill space, and they hurt the rhythm of the heats offense. The last two playoffs saw Wade become a liability on the floor for the heat as he became worn down by chronic injuries and could only. Yes wade had a good midrange game but the heat would have been better playing a role player who could have helped their spacing. the bigger problem is that wade missed a third of the regular season so he could manage to play well in the playoffs and he was only able to manage a handful of meaningful good games.

LMAO at this psd mlb *****. Wades ability to cut and play off ball is also impactful. And, his underrated post game is also being ignored. Wade has a refined post game and mixes alot of the different types of shots he takes (i.e up-and-under, hook shot, turnaround shot, etc..) and he's ambidextrous . So, the post game is probably more beneficial for him but you rarely hear of it on here. Plus, his IQ is off the charts. It has never been about skill with Wade like you guys are implying. It was always injuries.

Yes sure he is really skilled (at things that allowed him to get midrange jumpsuits), but he was a liability in lasts year's finals and the 2013 ECF and 2013 finals. By liability I mean the heat were better off playing any player who could shoot 3s and manage to play team defense. Why was he a liability because his injuries acted up causing a loss of athleticism and Wade failed to develop skills to compensate for that loss.

[g105rick]

At this rate, Wade's only saving grace is that he comes off the bench or plays less than 20 min. Hoping that he could be even remotely close to healthy is a pipe dream. Yes, he is a liability. Anyone who watched the finals could see that he was a non factor and is outright done. Kudos to LBJ for moving on. It's time for the Heat to do the same.

[KingDavid]

At this rate, Wade's only saving grace is that he comes off the bench or plays less than 20 min. Hoping that he could be even remotely close to healthy is a pipe dream. Yes, he is a liability. Anyone who watched the finals could see that he was a non factor and is outright done. Kudos to LBJ for moving on. It's time for the Heat to do the same.

[g105rick]

Wade might do fine with a bench role. That, or develop a 3pt shot. It's slim, but JKidd did it.

[tidho]

I don't think Wade is necessarily reliant on his athleticism to be effective, but he is reliant on it to be elite...

Like most, this thread ended on page 1.

[gino_giode]

LeBron made Wade and Bosh efficient with limited shots. They all became more efficient with improved spacing on the court.

Back to Wade now, I think it's obvious his game has mostly been predicated on athleticism. Yes he does a lot of good things offensively, but not as much as you'd think from an 11 yr veteran and a dominant 2 way player in this league that was on par with Kobe. The lack of a diverse skill set points to the fact that he didn't adjust for his waning athleticism (which you can't blame him due to injuries and bad knees).

He can be explosive from time to time, but it's a lot more selective. Without LeBron carrying a heavy load and providing easy opportunities, we'll see how he holds up to being the alpha again (Bosh is not a leader).

[Zasterror]

I don't get why people continuously keep saying that Wade has a "lack a diverse skill set". Just because he can't hit the 3-ball effectively doesn't give others clearance to make statements like that. Wade ran into a shredder in the Spurs last Finals that neutralized everyone not named LeBron.

[qm22]

LeBron made Wade and Bosh efficient with limited shots. They all became more efficient with improved spacing on the court.

Stats show Wade was more efficient with LeBron off the court, so no.

[cyclix]

I don't get why people continuously keep saying that Wade has a "lack a diverse skill set". Just because he can't hit the 3-ball effectively doesn't give others clearance to make statements like that. Wade ran into a shredder in the Spurs last Finals that neutralized everyone not named LeBron.

AND 1 TIME A ******* MILLION!!!

I never understood it myself. If you exclude 3 point shooting, Wade is probably TOP 5 most skilled player in the NBA. Thats why he is an improvisational type of player. He knows how to create something out of nothing. If Wade was a Vince Carter type and develop a 3-PT shot to the point he was shooting 4-6 attempts a game, he would way more boring to watch for me.

[Basketballefan]

At this rate, Wade's only saving grace is that he comes off the bench or plays less than 20 min. Hoping that he could be even remotely close to healthy is a pipe dream. Yes, he is a liability. Anyone who watched the finals could see that he was a non factor and is outright done. Kudos to LBJ for moving on. It's time for the Heat to do the same.

Your judging him off a few games against a great team. He just ran out of gas. Averaging 19 on 58 ts% and then 18 on 57 ts% in playoffs is not "done".

You wanna see done look at Kg or Nash.

[M4P]

You missed the part where I said he gained unnecessary weight, and it affected his game. Before last season began he looked more cut than last years Finals. Although he was sitting out some games and preserving his knees his conditioning began to worsen. Wade wasn't at game speed in the Finals as he looked slower, both offensively and defensively. And because of this, taking too many games off didn't ideally prepare against a team with an almost flawless system.

You're still suppose to work on your conditioning and practice if you're on a "maintenance" program. If Wade couldn't stay or have the desire to maintain game weight and conditioning then that speaks more on his end goal.

That's neither here or there anymore. He's in shape now so we'll have to see how he does now that the program is scrapped.

Yes, but it is ignorant to discredit the notion that Wade's declining age and the nagging injuries that he has racked up will not continue to play a role. The guy is going to turn 33 soon with a ton of mileage under his legs. Realistically how much production can you expect from a 33 year old, undersized SG (relatively speaking) that was reliant on slashing and cutting to the basket? It's a fact that he has bad knees and declining lateral quickness. With the game transitioning to a more Run 'n Gun style, and with the Heat going through a transitional period with the absence of Lebron, it is not unreasonable to doubt that Wade will live up to the expectations people are setting (25+/5+/5+ on stellar D and efficiency).

[dolphinatik]

Wade can be even more efficient minus Lebron. Heat stood around too much on offense watching either Wade or Lebron control all the action. With Lebron gone they are trying to spread the ball around more and not have one or two players do the heavy lifting. Wade should be able to flourish not having to take every shot.

[Exodus]

Becasue Wade isn't a Kobe or a Jordan. He doesn't have elite footwork. This is why his game has fallen when he played injured. The great ones are still able to play at a high level through injuries.

[cyclix]

You're still suppose to work on your conditioning and practice if you're on a "maintenance" program. If Wade couldn't stay or have the desire to maintain game weight and conditioning then that speaks more on his end goal.

That's neither here or there anymore. He's in shape now so we'll have to see how he does now that the program is scrapped.

Yes, but it is ignorant to discredit the notion that Wade's declining age and the nagging injuries that he has racked up will not continue to play a role. The guy is going to turn 33 soon with a ton of mileage under his legs. Realistically how much production can you expect from a 33 year old, undersized SG (relatively speaking) that was reliant on slashing and cutting to the basket? It's a fact that he has bad knees and declining lateral quickness. With the game transitioning to a more Run 'n Gun style, and with the Heat going through a transitional period with the absence of Lebron, it is not unreasonable to doubt that Wade will live up to the expectations people are setting (25+/5+/5+ on stellar D and efficiency).

(1) Wade is NOT undersized. His wingspan is big enough for an SF and he weighs as much as an average SG.He has freakish length for his height.

(2) Wade doesn't rely on slashing as much as he used to. He has a refined post game, a consistent mid range, and is off-ball game all lead to a nice scoring load for him.

(3) Wade doesn't really have mileage like that. The problem is his meniscectomy he had in college and how its leading to alleged degenerative knee issues

(4) Wade is an all-around player, and can still be effective without needing the ball in his hands. His off-ball game is very dangerous, and he was able to put up 19 PPG playing with LeBron and Bosh. Wade has never really been an inefficient player and we've seen him him injured before, come back and terrorize. He will do it again..

[cyclix]

Becasue Wade isn't a Kobe or a Jordan. He doesn't have elite footwork.

Wades IQ is off the charts, and his footwork is good enough. You can survive a while in this league if you have a good IQ. Look at Jason Kidd.