Who was quicker and more athletic than prime D Wade?

[DCasey91]

Quicker was Jordan

Wade at his peak had the rare blend of speed and physical dominance and had the mentality to match. I do believe he’s stronger naturally and only Kawhi out of the bunch would pip him.

He was basically a 6”4 lebron and would go right through players.

Look at Edwards or Wiggins for example or even Derozan. All three don’t have the mentality to and leave some of their athletic prowess by the wayside.

Posters here talk about Rose, Westbrook but neither would be able to guard Wade they would get bodied.

[DCasey91]

Westbrook > straight line athleticism.
Rose > more herky jerky explosiveness
Iverson > fastest period and fastest with the ball

Wade > full package but a little less of each above

Wade is clearly stronger than all 3 which does go towards overall athleticism.

[toodles23]

Westbrook > straight line athleticism.
Rose > more herky jerky explosiveness
Iverson > fastest period and fastest with the ball

Wade > full package but a little less of each above

Wade is clearly stronger than all 3 which does go towards overall athleticism.

This, Wade's strength is massively overlooked as a reason why he was so effective. For a 6'4" player he was incredibly strong and sturdy on drives, he could take plenty of contact and absorb it without being thrown off balance.

MJ had a higher vert and his first step was probably quicker (though he worked a lot more out of the triple threat compared to Wade doing a lot more PnR so it's not totally apples to apples), but he didn't have Wade's level of strength until he was older and had slowed down considerably. Specifically for getting downhill in PnR, I'm not sure there's ever been a guy with a better combo of overall quickness/first step, lateral movement, body control, and strength than Wade.

[best of luck]

T-Mac for the athletic but not quicker.

[brutalitops]

That I've seen?
Westbrook, Jordon, Rose(Quicker but no way as Physical) , Francis and Wall. Toss up with Morant(Quicker, not as strong)/Davis and Edwards.

Only Jordan was really more skilled then him however.

Wings are a different story. Going for guys under 6'5"

[whitehops]

this is one of my favourite d-wade plays and it highlights his athleticism. he's not in his athletic prime but his acceleration on the catch to blow by harden, the smooth spin while staying completely balanced to get by ibaka and then elevating, absorbing contact and flushing it on perkins is just an insane sequence. he caught the ball at 4:24 and dunked it at 4:21. it took 3 seconds to beat 3 defenders:

Watch on YouTube

[SweaterBae]

Not the greatest gif to say he's more athletic than Wade, even though I think he is.

I saw better dunks in this summer league

No you didn't.

[Pelly24]

I think there are a few athletes in NBA history more athletic than Wade, but he's in the highest tier I think.

In their prime, I think LeBron and MJ were more athletic than Wade. Both jumped much higher, and MJ had even better body control, while LeBron had worse body control, but was always 40 pounds heavier while still having incredible feet/all-laround dexterity and agility.

I think 2014-2017 Westbrook was arguably more athletic. He wasn't as shifty, but he was incredibly fast and quick and never got tired. And the power he could generate off either one or two feet from the three point line to the rim was unstoppable. I remember his MVP year DeAndre Jordan just got right out of the way from a Russ dunk. His force and his speed and just how quickly he took off reminded me of 1984-1990 Michael Jordan.

Anthony Edwards might be there. I'd say given his size AND athletic ability, Zion might be more athletic.

[JN61]

D Rose still was never on D Wade's level. For instance: over Rose's best 3 seasons in the league (before injuries), he averaged 25 dunks per season. Over D Wade's best 3 seasons in the league, he averaged 115 dunks per season. Over D Wade's entire career he averaged 68 dunks per season.

People that lump peak D Wade's athleticism with the other slashing guards from the past 20 years are doing a disservice to Wade.

It is worth noting that when you play as sg and get a lot of secondary action it is far more likely you get into the plays where you are able to dunk regardless or your athletism compared to the primary playmaker in PGs.

That said Westbrook was far more athletic. Faster, quicker, more explosive and nowdays probably stronger than wade ever was. Jumping is anyone's guess. Neither was a slouch.

So you're of the impression that Wade wasn't the primary playmaker on his early career teams?

Dude was creating everything for himself off the dribble--very often just beating his man with his first step and then contorting his body through the paint defenders before exploding towards the basket.

Tell me you didn't watch prime Wade without telling me you didn't watch prime Wade.

He didn't handle the ball to the extent to Rose and especially Westbrook, he got far more 2ndary action plays than either of these guys. To think he did is changing the history.

[best of luck]

Harold Miner aka baby Jordan ?

[CumberlandPosey]

Watch on YouTube

my boy demond greene !!!

[prophet_of_rage]

Westbrook > straight line athleticism.
Rose > more herky jerky explosiveness
Iverson > fastest period and fastest with the ball

Wade > full package but a little less of each above

Iverson was never fast. He was just shifty. Westbrook is more explosive in traffic. Rose is both combined.

What?

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[hardenASG13]

Westbrook > straight line athleticism.
Rose > more herky jerky explosiveness
Iverson > fastest period and fastest with the ball

Wade > full package but a little less of each above

Iverson was never fast. He was just shifty. Westbrook is more explosive in traffic. Rose is both combined.

What?

Sent from my SM-S9080 using RealGM mobile app

Haha was just about to question that myself. Iverson never fast? He was by far the fastest player in the league when he played, and likely is the fastest player the league has ever seen.

[Ito]

Westbrook > straight line athleticism.
Rose > more herky jerky explosiveness
Iverson > fastest period and fastest with the ball

Wade > full package but a little less of each above

Iverson was never fast. He was just shifty. Westbrook is more explosive in traffic. Rose is both combined.

Iverson was never fast, he just had speed right couldn’t run like that he just moved really fast

[DrCoach]

Westbrook > straight line athleticism.
Rose > more herky jerky explosiveness
Iverson > fastest period and fastest with the ball

Wade > full package but a little less of each above

Iverson was never fast. He was just shifty. Westbrook is more explosive in traffic. Rose is both combined.

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[og15]

Westbrook was as athletic/explosive but not as coordinated/smooth. Rose was closer to Wade in that regard but not as smooth with the step backs and Euro steps. I would say peak Wade is the closest to young MJ in terms of the full package physically. MJ was the rare breed of God level athleticism, coordination and mechanics. I would say peak Wade was 15% less than MJ in those aspects. Up to around 2011 Wade could do whatever he wanted on a basketball court when healthy from an athleticism/skills standpoint.

Westbrook is a good comp for Wade, who, along with Monta Ellis, had terrible combine measurements, barely managed 30-some inch verticals, and had average end-to-end speed in the gym compared to their draft class, yet when you give them the ball in-game they were absolute athletic beasts.

Heard Monta did a lot of work on his athleticism before starting his NBA career, and/or maybe he was also partially winging it during the combine since he knew he "had it all".

[sip]

Not the greatest gif to say he's more athletic than Wade, even though I think he is.

I saw better dunks in this summer league

No you didn't. I have never seen that dunk before but it is insane based on where he jumped from and going through 2 guys.

[EmpireFalls]

Bron

[greg4012]

It is worth noting that when you play as sg and get a lot of secondary action it is far more likely you get into the plays where you are able to dunk regardless or your athletism compared to the primary playmaker in PGs.

That said Westbrook was far more athletic. Faster, quicker, more explosive and nowdays probably stronger than wade ever was. Jumping is anyone's guess. Neither was a slouch.

So you're of the impression that Wade wasn't the primary playmaker on his early career teams?

Dude was creating everything for himself off the dribble--very often just beating his man with his first step and then contorting his body through the paint defenders before exploding towards the basket.

Tell me you didn't watch prime Wade without telling me you didn't watch prime Wade.

He didn't handle the ball to the extent to Rose and especially Westbrook, he got far more 2ndary action plays than either of these guys. To think he did is changing the history.

This is patently false. Once he teamed up with LeBron, he absolutely deferred to Bron's playstyle and changed his own style for team success.

But, pre-big 3 Wade was ALWAYS the primary ballhandler, primary facilitator and center of his team's universe. He was creating everything for the team. Wade's average usage over the course of his career before teaming up with LeBron was higher than Rose's usage in any season of his career.

Wade's career usage rate is basically identical to Westbrook's (while always playing a much more team-conducive game than Westbrook). Westbrook had a stretch of absurd usage after Durant and before PG13, yet the career numbers are still comparable.

You're making things up. I'm not sure why. But, here we are.

[greg4012]

Westbrook > straight line athleticism.
Rose > more herky jerky explosiveness
Iverson > fastest period and fastest with the ball

Wade > full package but a little less of each above

Iverson was never fast. He was just shifty. Westbrook is more explosive in traffic. Rose is both combined.

Iverson was never fast, he just had speed right couldn’t run like that he just moved really fast

Iverson was never fast, he just would have been a NFL defensive back if he opted to pursue football over basketball...

LOL