Over the past few seasons, Dwyane Wade has reinvented himself from a high usage star to more of a complementary scorer.
LeBron James has been impressed with how Wade has handled his transition from star to role player.
“When you’re a star, a real big star and you’ve been a franchise player, guys have a hard time being real with themselves,” James said. “It’s crazy to me that one of my best friends is just real with the whole situation.”
Wade is averaging 10.8 points per game this season, down from 16.2 last season with the Bulls.
“I’m not in my 15th year like LeBron is in his 15th year,” Wade said. “Even though you can arguably say we’re both in the Hall of Fame when our careers are over, I’m not in the same place he’s at, so I’m not going to walk in here like I want to play 40 minutes a night, I want the ball 90 times a game. I don’t want that. My body can’t take that. I’ve been through a lot body-wise. But I know what I can do. I know what I can give you and that’s what I try to focus on. And I’m man enough to say that and be OK with that.”
Wade's arrival bothered some members of the Cavaliers and eventually led to the release of Richard Jefferson.
“I still know what he’s capable of doing. Why wouldn’t you want another guy in the locker room that brings a championship mentality and a guy who can still play?” James said. “So, of course, it bothered me, but (expletive) it. It is what it is.”
“They had a style here. I don’t fit the style from what they played over the last couple years,” Wade said. “But this is a different team.”
