Dwyane Wade has been a superstar throughout his career. Whenever he’s been on the floor, he’s been his team’s No. 1 or No. 2 option — things have always ran through Wade, and the only times they have not have been the times that he’s been on the court with someone like LeBron James or Shaquille O’Neal.
Now that he’s with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade is in an unusual spot. The team’s obvious No. 1 option is James, while its No. 2 option is Kevin Love. Basically, for the first time in his career, Wade is more of a role player than a star.
This has been evident through his first three games in Cleveland. Wade is averaging 5.7 points per game on 28 percent shooting — the scoring number is ninth on the team, while the only player who is shooting worse from the field is Cedi Osman, who is 0-for-1 on the season.
Wade isn’t denying that he’s struggled in a new role. The veteran guard sat down with Dave McMenamin of ESPN after the team lost to Orlando on Saturday night and expressed that this is an adjustment for him.
“I’m trying to find it, man,” Wade said. “It’s very different, different than I’ve ever played. Just trying to find my way, as we go on, see how I can be best for this team. Everything’s happened so fast. This has been a long, a long week.”
Wade is right that this happened fast — his contract was bought out by the Bulls on Sept. 24, 2017, and two days later, he accepted a supporting role in Cleveland. He had less than a month to get settled before the season tipped off, and so far, it’s been kind of obvious that he’s needed some time to adjust.
Additionally, Wade was asked what the biggest difference is between this year and past years, saying “I’ve always been a [No.] 1 or 2 option. It’s just a different game. You got to kind of figure out your way.”
It’s possible that father time has just caught up to Wade, who is a little less than three months away from being 36 years old, but he sounds like he believes he’ll be fine once he gets he’s settled into a new role. It’s possible that Cleveland doesn’t need Wade to be the All-Star caliber player he’s been throughout his career, but it’s going to be something of a problem if he doesn’t improve on his current scoring numbers.
(Via ESPN)
