NBA Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade Will Thrive As Miami Heat Point Guard

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By @GoldenPerspectv

Dwyane Wade

Sam Sharpe – USA Today Sports

As Dwyane Wade stated, when you’re as many games below .500 as the Miami Heat are, it’s time to look at other options to help your team win. Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole have been God-awful as floor generals. Wade said in an interview Tuesday that he will be playing point guard more often in the future and I absolutely love this move.

Your starting point guard is supposed to control the tempo, see the floor, make momentum plays and finish in the lane. Wade is more than capable of completing each of those facets of the game. He has dished out at least 10 assists in three different games this season at shooting guard which shows he is a willing passer. He’s always been an unselfish superstar during his career by averaging six dimes throughout his NBA tenure.

Chalmers and Cole have not adjusted to the post-LeBron era yet. They can’t just be spot-up shooters and wait for LeBron to distract their defender. It’s not as sweet as it once was now that they are actually expected to play the role of a true point guard. It has not panned out well in the first 37 games, but the Heat are still in the playoff picture. But before they lose that status, I like the idea of shaping the offense in a different direction with Wade handling the ball more.

The biggest weapon a point guard must have in their arsenal is the ability to get in the paint. Just watch all the great active, pass-first point guards like Tony Parker, Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo. They gather the defense’s attention in the paint while the rest of the team moves without the basketball. If Wade is able to execute in that manner, Miami will have easier looks at the basket. They have a decent group of three-point shooters in Luol Deng, Chalmers, Danny Granger and Chris Bosh. Their defense (eighth in the league) isn’t the issue. Their stagnant offense (28th in the league) is the problem which I believe Wade will solve.

In the wake of Hassan Whiteside‘s career game, I think this will open up some high-percentage pick and roll opportunities for Wade too. Whiteside is a big body who has shown that he can fill the lane. That play alone will force teams to honor the paint presence that Wade and Whiteside will continually attack. I see really good things coming from this change if Wade is to play point guard more often than not.

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