MIAMI- With two NBA championships, one NBA Finals MVP, and eight all star appearances, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, still isn’t satisfied with his game and has made his catching and shooting this off-season.
Despite coming off an NBA championship, Wade didn’t look like himself throughout the playoffs leading to LeBron James having a historical playoff run. There were rumors that Wade was injured, he was backing off to buddy James , or that he might have just lost a step until it was revealed that in fact Wade played the whole post-season with a left knee injury.
After the finals Wade indeed had arthroscopic surgery to his left knee, which held him out of Olympic play over the summer. Known as one of the best shooting guards in the league if not the best, Wade made it an emphasis to improve his mid-range game this summer.
“My mid-range game is very important to me. The biggest thing is coming out of my pull-up without losing the ball and just making sure it comes through my hand the right way. When it comes to my shot exactly, I don’t have a bad shot. There’s other reasons why I come up short a lot. So it’s just trying to work the kinks out.”
“I have one of the best mid-range shots in the league,” he said. “But, obviously, when you have different injuries, it makes you change a little bit. So it’s just about getting back to that comfort of it and finding out where you are now.
Wade, known as of the best slashers we have in the NBA, points to his catching as an important aspect in helping his shooting. Known for an unorthodox shooting motion, Wade often finds himself losing the ball as he’s going up for his shot which he feels is very important to make a difference this season for the Heat. The only problem is Wade hasn’t had his legs just months after knee surgery but that has not stopped him from working on the fundamentals.
Wade, at 30 years old realizes that he’s not getting any younger and is not at the same age as his draft buddies (Carmelo Anthony-27, Chris Bosh-28, LeBron James-27), and realizes that he must change his game on the fly. Wade is getting to the age where players must make a decision to either play the same way or improve their game in order to preserve a longer substantial career.
Not to say that Wade can’t last, but now with arthroscopic surgery at the age 30 Wade realizes that he can’t play with the same reckless abandon, and that he must work on his mid-range game in order to avoid further injuries.
In doing so Wade will not only benefit himself, but he will also benfit the Miami Heat team as another play who can stretch the floor for the Heat, making them even more impossible to guard.
Some Miami fans may not like a less aggressive Dwyane Wade, but if you have any questions regarding this go down to Los Angeles and ask Kobe Bryant how adjusting your mid-range cam can help you.
