What is wrong with Wade?

Dwyane Wade’s slump continued last night with one of his worst individual performances I can remember, as Washington sunk Miami 106-96 in American Airlines Arena. Wade finished the game with 18 points, and 4 turnovers on 6/19 shooting. He let the referees get into his head, causing several outbursts directed at the officiating crew through out the night.

One shot after another was forced from Wade’s hands in double and triple team situations where he should have passed it off. The more he missed, the more he forced and it made a late heat comeback impossible.

This comes in wake of an abysmal 5 game stretch in which he  averaged 23.6 points on 38 % shooting. But if you look deeper, he is experiencing a slump over a much longer period than 5 games. His shooting percentage on the year (42%) is way below his career figure of 48%, which is a cause for concern.

Why the recent drop in offensive efficiency? The main reason is his spike in three point attempts this year. After chucking up a career high 3.5 attempts per game last season, he has been shooting 4.3 threes a game this year and his percentage is hovering around 27%.

The way I see it is this: If you aren’t making at least 1 out of 3 from long distance there is no reason to take more than a three per game. The reason why is simple math. Wade shoots pretty close to 50 % on two’s, which is extremely impressive considering he is a guard and often plays far away from the basket. He is a career 28% shooter from the thee.

For every 100 shots he takes within the three point line he makes about fifty, which is 100 points. If he takes 100 threes instead he makes about 28, which is 84 points. Would you rather have 100 points or 84 points if you take 100 shots?

Obviously you want more points and with this reasoning, Wade should never take more than a three or maybe two per game.

Wade is a great player and the reason he is great is because he has the ability to get into the paint whenever he likes. When he gets into the lane he either A) scores, B) gets fouled, c) kicks it to an open teammate, or D)misses a shot. That means that three out of four scenarios when Wade gets into the lane are favorable.

Until he starts shooting better from the perimeter, which he will need to do as he ages, he should stick to his game. His strengths are his ability to penetrate, his playmaking ability, and his mid range jumper. His weakness is perimeter shooting and by him taking more and more shots from deep he is only hurting the team.

So Dwyane, if you want to help your team, stick to what makes you one of the greatest players of our era and leave the three point shooting to your teammates that are equipped with a sure-fire triggers from deep like Daquan Cook and James Jones.