Dwyane Wade’s PER and Offensive Reb Pct have declined in 3 straight seasons. His effective field goal
percentage took a 12.3% nosedive from the previous season. Defensively, his block and steal rates were the lowest of his career. Can Wade bounce back from this decline and return to an elite level or will we continue to see Wade fade?
Dwyane Wade
Last 4 Seasons
PER OReb Pct
2011-12 26.3 5.6%
2012-13 24.0 4.7%
2013-14 22.0 4.4%
2014-15 21.4 3.6%
YES – WADE WILL BE ELITE AGAIN:
USAGE PCT:
The Heat relied on Dwyane Wade far too much last season. His usage percentage was second highest in the NBA (Russell Westbrook), a 24.3% increase from the previous season. He took field goal attempts at his highest rate in 6 years. The reasons for the increase range from taking on a bigger role after LeBron James left to Chris Bosh missing time with blood clots.
CONTINUITY:
Wade played in 62 games last season but the Heat had 20 different starting lineups in those games! Wade started next to four different point guards – Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Goran Dragic and Shabazz Napier. Miami’s projected starters this season – Dragic, Wade, Deng, Bosh and Whiteside – did not play a single minute together last season.
HIS PER REMAINS HIGH:
While Wade’s PER has declined in three straight seasons, last year it was still 42.7% above the league average. James Harden was only shooting guard who was more efficient. Wade’s PER was higher than Jimmy Butler and Klay Thompson.
NO – WADE’S DECLINE WILL CONTINUE:
PLAYING ALONGSIDE GORAN DRAGIC:
Among the top-20 most 2-man lineup combinations used by the Heat last season, the Goran Dragic-Dwyane Wade duo has the worst net rating (-4.8).
SHOT SELECTION:
Wade’s average shot distance ballooned to 11.9 feet last year from 9.6 feet in the previous year. His 48.3% effective field goal percentage was his lowest in 7 years.
NEGATIVE DEFENSIVE IMPACT:
Wade’s defensive real plus/minus was -1.95, which means defensively he had a negative impact on the team. How bad was Wade defensively? He ranked 69th in the NBA – among shooting guards. The Heat’s defensive rating was 2.8% worse with Wade on the court last season.