As an NBA player ages he is supposed to do a couple things:
- Play less minutes.
- Play less games.
- Play worse.
Let’s start with that first one because that’s actually been something he has done this season. Wade is averaging 30.5 minutes per game this year, his lowest average from any season of his career. Even with it being his lowest, 30.5 minutes per game for a 34 year old is still very impressive.
The other two, he is not doing at all. As you age, you are supposed to play less games. Simple, right? Dwyane Wade has played in 67 of the Heat’s 73 games this season. Hopefully, and most likely, Wade will be able to play well over 70 games. He hasn’t eclipsed 70 games in a year since the 2010 season.
The third one is what brings us here today. As you get older, you should play worse. Kobe has played worse, Tim Duncan has, Vince Carter has, and the list goes on. It’s practically a law. If it is indeed a law, then Dwyane Wade is a baaaaaad man (Stephen A. Smith voice).
Sure, Wade isn’t shooting too well from the floor, but he’s still taking 16 shots per game! He’s averaging a line that is right around 19/4/5. The most important factor of his game has been that he’s helping the team win and not hurting them. There have been occasions this season where you might rather Wade pass the ball then shoot it, but for the most part he has been excellent.
Let’s take last night’s game for Dwyane Wade against the Nets as an example.
Wade finished with 30 points and 9 assists. He shot 14/18 from inside the arc. The last guard to attempt at least 18 shots from inside the arc while making 75% of those shots was Monta Ellis in 2013.
Dwyane Wade is still playing some incredible ball. The future Hall of Famer looks to lead this Heat team far enough through the playoffs to where he might see his good friend LeBron in what would be a very intriguing match-up that we would all love to see.
