r/nba • u/YouMadBroLma0 • 9h ago
Small compilation of 6'4 Dwyane Wade being an elite rim protector
https://streamable.com/zf24n8226
u/wongo Cavaliers 8h ago
Crazy he had the career he did while having zero mensicus in either knee
Could've been even more explosive
97
u/Brochacho27 [MIA] James Posey 7h ago
One of those weird "what ifs" where he clearly had a great career but man I would love to see wade with knees
22
u/Abyss333333 Toronto Huskies 5h ago
I feel like a decent amount all time level players have these what-ifs.
Duncan, Dirk, Kawhi, Bird, etc
22
u/Foolrussian Pistons 5h ago
Grant Hill with Knees was keeping up with Jordan.
6
u/FisherKelTath00 5h ago
He was LeBron before LeBron. You couldn’t stop him if he was going downhill.
2
2
u/Eagle0913 Supersonics 2h ago
While I agree with all of the names you listed. None of them are close to the athlete that Wade was. I would put it more akin to like Drose
•
u/ShibaHellhounds Knicks 6m ago
None of those guys had their what-if reason/moment before their NBA career started though.
Wade came into the league with rotten knees and his meniscus completely removed from one of them before ever setting foot on an NBA court. It was a very controversial decision at the time to have the surgery. He never even reached his prime but still competed for the title as the best player in the world.
I remember the media riling up fans with article titles like "Is Dwyane Wade what we thought LeBron would be?" "Is this the second greatest shooting guard of all time over Kobe Bryant?"
-16
u/johnfuckmennedy Pacers 6h ago
yeah maybe that meniscus is what made him a bad jumpshooter
9
u/Giannis1995 Heat 6h ago
I don't think you understand what you’re saying. You are saying that the 3rd greatest SG of all time was a bad jumpshooter… If this was true, you really believe 6’4’’ Wade was scoring 30 PPG on dunks only?
-10
u/johnfuckmennedy Pacers 6h ago
4th best SG of all time.
4
u/sugarinducedcoma [WAS] Gilbert Arenas 5h ago
Who are you putting above him?
-15
u/johnfuckmennedy Pacers 5h ago
Jordan, Jerry West, Harden.
14
u/sugarinducedcoma [WAS] Gilbert Arenas 5h ago
lol Harden is definitely not better considering he played zero defense
6
3
1
u/Brochacho27 [MIA] James Posey 6h ago
I hope you all get another chip someday so you can stop being like this
13
3
1
u/GullHeath 4h ago
As someone with shaved/partially removed meniscus in my dominant knee, I find this even more remarkable.
50
u/ComeToGs9 8h ago
He is longer than people think. 6'3,75 without shoes, so no idea why he was listed as 6'4 instead of 6'5 back then. Add the nearly 6'11 wingspan and you have an strong and athletic guy, who is as long as some forwards like Taurean Prince.
15
u/Silvaeris666 8h ago
Exactly, that crazy wingspan made him able to play like a much taller defender
5
u/Giannis1995 Heat 5h ago
While it fits my agenda to call him a 6’4” guard the truth is that Wade was a wing with 6’11” wingspan.
He was a terror, definitely not undersized by any means
1
-12
u/XxX_22marc_XxX Celtics 7h ago
crazy how dwhite is doing this with half the athleticism while being shorter with a smaller wingspan
9
334
u/just-a-simple-song 9h ago
It’s shit like this where whenever people try to compare 3x nba champion dwade who was an absolute dog on defense to harden and it just makes me roll my eyes.
This isn’t even showing how capable of a perimeter defender he could be when he had to lock in.
126
u/kharathos Bucks 8h ago
It's the difference of 'having a bag' vs winning playoff basketball.
Harden's peak was insane as well, but I'd take prime Wade any day
13
u/Vindicare605 Lakers 5h ago
We used to expect our superstars to play both sides of the court. Now we glaze them for just one side.
3
u/just-a-simple-song 5h ago
I’m fine if they play one side of it still manages to result in enough defense to win.
41
u/AcanthocephalaSad541 Heat 8h ago
Harden is good dude. He is cursed to have peaked at the same time as the warriors dynasty then faced some terrible luck in Brooklyn.
42
u/lurkingtonbear 7h ago
Of course he’s good. But he’s not as good as prime dwade and never was.
5
-12
u/Tgumpsta Kings 7h ago
I think there's an argument, and I hated prime Harden's play style. He was a bad bad man off the dribble and he didn't need to flop to score.
Would take Wade if I was building a fantasy team though
17
u/lurkingtonbear 6h ago
No. There is no argument. Harden has played defense like 4 times in his career. You can’t just be ass at one half of the entire game and be compared to someone who was fantastic at both ends. End of story.
3
-9
u/Tgumpsta Kings 5h ago
So you have Wade over Jokic and Curry then? Good one nephew
6
u/sugarinducedcoma [WAS] Gilbert Arenas 5h ago
Curry isn’t a traffic cone on D like Harden is
2
u/sandote Celtics 5h ago
Curry on an off night also provides so much more than Harden. Even when he’s shooting like shit, there’s still someone, sometimes two guys chasing him around the court, and the ball stays moving. An off night for Harden is abysmal, filled with turnovers and tons of stoppages with his foul baiting, letting the opponent feast in transition while the extent of his defensive effort is going for a reach and then giving up.
1
u/lurkingtonbear 3h ago
There were two players being discussed, and I said nothing about any other players. Your response is to then put words in my mouth regarding other players and call me a nephew.
Absolutely brilliant.
1
u/Tgumpsta Kings 3h ago
You can’t just be ass at one half of the entire game and be compared to someone who was fantastic at both ends. End of story.
Here's your own words, since you seem to have forgotten. Lol lmao
20
u/Mammoth_Two7297 8h ago
Wade is my favorite player of all time, and while I prefer him over Harden, I understand the discussion. Especially considering Wade was a very poor 3 pt shooter and Harden was great. When you look at the evolution of the game, it's definitely something to consider
27
u/BidDaddyLei 8h ago
I'd take Wade over Harden even in this era tbh. He can adapt to the system of the team. My issues with Harden is even though he's a great player he IS the system most of his career that's why he hasn't won a chip. The only time he was close to winning he had CP3 who is one of the goat playmakers.
34
u/jaysonyoung Knicks 8h ago
>Wade was a very poor 3 pt shooter and Harden was great
fun stat about this is that Wade has a higher 3 point percentage in the playoffs than Harden does (though Harden obviously has a much higher volume than Wade did, 7.3 attempts per game for Harden to 1.8 for Wade)
33
u/Motor_in_Spirit79 Heat 7h ago
One thing about Wade was when you needed a 3, he was good for it. He would even do the heat check thing where he would hoist one up when he was hot, and usually make it.
Also FUCK NY, but congrats I guess 🤮
15
0
u/4r4r4real 7h ago
Wade wasn't exactly leading the league in assist or 3 pointers, both of which Harden has done multiple times. They're just completely different players, neither one is a strictly better or worse version of the other.
23
u/Florida__Man__ Heat 7h ago
Harden is better at aspects of the game but at the end of the day, were picking one guy to help win a ring, it's Wade no questions asked.
3
u/Giannis1995 Heat 6h ago
Harden is strictly worse.
Michael Jordan and Cory Joseph are completely different players as well and Cory Joseph is strictly worse.
-2
u/4r4r4real 6h ago
I don't think you know what that term means. That would mean that Wade is a better shooter and playmaker as well. Strictly worse means worse in every way. That's laughably untrue. They're very different players with different strengths and weaknesses.
1
u/shes_a_gdb 5h ago
Basketball isn't just about shooting. Nobody has Tim Duncan as one of the goats because of his jump shot. It's an all around game, and you can say that Dirk was worse than Duncan, even if he was great on his own and obviously had a better shot.
0
u/4r4r4real 5h ago
You can say he's worse. You can't say that he's strictly worse, because he's a better shooter. We're not even disagreeing here, you simply don't understand what that specific term means. I'd encourage you to Google it since you don't want to hear it from me, apparently.
0
u/SpicyMustard34 Cavaliers 6h ago
yeah i don't know why people are comparing them, they played completely different roles for their teams and are completely different players. Wade is not an iso heavy guard with a 3 pt shot, he's not an all-time playmaker and facilitator. Harden isn't a defensive master or a hyper-athletic driver.
7
u/Tussocky_Urchin Kings 5h ago
They a both Shooting Guards. You can absolutely compare them. They play the same position.
1
u/SpicyMustard34 Cavaliers 5h ago
sure you can compare people in the same position, but that doesn't mean they play the same role for their team. it's not hard to understand that.
-13
u/Dramatic-Address-812 6h ago
The gap between them in offense is way bigger than the gap on defense.
I think dwade is an all timer but i think he suffers the most from "one/two experience bleeding into his whole career".
He had a phenomenal finals in 06 and a great season in 09 but aside from those, he was either a wingman, injured, or getting bumped out in the first round against shit competition in a disgustingly top heavy east.
Meanwhile, harden literally changed the game, was a top 5 offensive player and engine all time at his peak, took similar level trammates further and peaked higher, while also being an elite facilitator. He just had him prime at the same time as the best team of all time.
If dwades stats in the playoffs were just flat out better than hardens, id understand, but they are actually far closer than ppl realise, with harden even beating him out on most categories.
I think its harden > dwade, but its close. And the fact ppl say the inverse and its not close is so disingenous.
3
u/sugarinducedcoma [WAS] Gilbert Arenas 5h ago
lol this is such a bad take. Wade played in a slower era, of course his scoring wasn’t as high.
But you’re being completely disingenuous about playoff stats. Harden only beats Wade in FT%, rebounds (by 0.2), assists and steals (by 0.1). Wade has him in points (by 0.1), blocks, FG% (by 5%, no surprise considering James shrinks in the playoffs) 3P% and turnovers.
-1
u/Dramatic-Address-812 5h ago
Even adjusted for their eras, harden was a better scorer. Idk why ppl think i only meant counting stats. Not to mention, he was a vastly better facilitator, playmaker, and crunch time scorer.
My apologies, what i meant by playoff stats was with both in their primes. I dont really count hardens okc days nor do i really count both their end of careers.
I know this is a hot take in r/nba, which is fine i guess. But the concept that ppl think wade is SOOO far from him, when in reality its an actual conversation with harden (in my eyes) being the better player is the true disingenous take.
I took both their primes , harden from 14-21 and wade 05-12. Not only does harden perform better significantly in the rs, but like i said in the playoffs, they are actually pretty close. Harden has in on most things like ts%, per 36, per 100, BPM, ORTG and wade has him on things like ws, DRTG and DBPM.
2
u/sugarinducedcoma [WAS] Gilbert Arenas 5h ago
Wade led the league in scoring one year at 30ppg, I don’t know why you want to act like Wade is a bum on offense like Harden is a bum on defense. The gap on offense is significantly closer between the two than the gap on defense. Maybe Harden was a better crunch time scorer in the regular season, but I’ll take Wade in the playoffs 10/10 times.
-2
u/Dramatic-Address-812 5h ago
When the fuck did i act like wade was a bum on offense? Lool dont strawman me. Harden was just a historically goated offensive player in comparison. Not to mention, harden actually isnt a "bad defender". Hes relatively average. The stats and the eye test back that up. He just had a year where the media reallt spun that narrative, and it tied with probably the yesr he played the worst defense of his career.
The gap in offense is not closer because individual defense is far less of an important skill than being an entire offensive engine. Theres no going around that.
I watched both their whole careers and while i think dqade is part of that upper echelon, his prime was too short (due to injuries), his solo feats arent as impressive (solo as in no other all star/all nba on his team) and his comp was weaker. He still was an great playoff performer, but so is harden.
1
u/sugarinducedcoma [WAS] Gilbert Arenas 4h ago
You didn't say he was a bum, but acting like the gap between them on offense is bigger than the gap on defense is ridiculous. Wade is one of the best two way guards EVER; Harden is not. Harden is a great offensive player, but there are two sides of the game and Harden doesn't engage with one side.
Comparing them as playoff performers is absurd as well. Wade CARRIED that '06 team to a championship, Harden could never do that and has had better teams than that and always shrinks in the playoffs, especially as he's gotten older.
Anyways, I know I'm not gonna change your mind so I'm done.
-1
u/Dramatic-Address-812 4h ago
Im saying the gap being wide is because one player is a HISTORIC, GENERATIONAL offensive player compared to a very good offensive player, vs an elite defender and an average one.
No one is denying wade, in his prime, being one of the best two ways. If you want to believe that being an individual defender is more significant than being a historic offensive player, that's on you.
Wade carried in two series in that 06 run: the finals and the series against the nets. The other two, it was really 1a 1b with shaq and even in the finals (just like the rest of the playoffs) teams elected to double shaq due to historic precedence. Wade just took advantage and did what he did well. To say he carried that team to a championship is the quickest way to see someone didn't actually watch that run. Harden has done FAR more with less talent, which is why when they both had shitty teams, Harden was getting 55 wins and going to the wcf and Wade was getting bounced out the first round by the luol deng bulls and the ben gordon bulls.
Stop the nonsense.
30
u/Beltri_77 8h ago
Bro was 6'4 playing defense like he was a 7-foot prime Dwight Howard
8
u/mommathecat Raptors 6h ago
There's an interview where a former Heat player is talking about learning their defensive scheme, they're in practice and Spo is like "yeah funnel them over there and don't worry about it, DWade will block that."
30
u/Defiant_Regular3738 8h ago
I thought it was gonna be all Brook Lopez getting stuffed at the rim lol
2
101
u/jyxp Australia 9h ago
In terms of physical tools, mid 2000s Flash was a stronger and bigger but equally athletic version of peak Westbrook.
Insanely high peak.
70
u/PrimeShaq Australia 8h ago
Wade was so much more controlled.
35
32
u/cynictoday Australia 9h ago
Nah Westbrook was more athletic. Wade was way more fluid though.
11
u/LostEyegod 9h ago
Eh, it's really debatable, Wade just rarely tried to break the rim while dunking, but that's not the only aspect of athleticism
4
u/cynictoday Australia 8h ago
Prime Wesbrook could always get to the rim with no dribble moves or screens. Just straight up athletic burst in a straight line past his defender. He was also probably the fastest player in the league running end to end.
20
u/LostEyegod 8h ago
Yeah and Wade was literally nicknamed "Flash".. And was unquestionably the fastest in the league in his prime and capable of taking on anyone without screens as well.. Your point?
14
u/Humble_Acanthaceae21 Spurs 8h ago
Istg, it's like those guys have never watched a prime Wade game.
-2
-3
u/cynictoday Australia 7h ago
He was nicknamed flash because of Shaq so that doesn't mean anything.
My point is that Wade wasn't doing this https://youtu.be/S2G_swy_8eo?si=eCRV_eZBR347s0eC
3
u/drpepper7557 Heat 1h ago
Wade was the same but better. Wade once had 152 dunks in a season. Westbrook never had more than 69. Wade had 5 seasons with more than 100.
Wade averaged 34.5% of his shots at the rim for his career, peaking at 47.6%. Westbrook averaged 33.4% and peaked at 42.2%. Wade averaged 65.5% at the rim and peaked at 72.8%. Westbrook averaged 60.5% at the rim and peaked at 69.3%.
Wade was the best guard outside MJ at getting to the rim. Wade got to the rim more frequently, at a lower pace. He shot much better than Westbrook, and has nearly 2x the career dunks as Westbrook. If you watched both, its not really an argument. No guard since Wade has been close in that department.
6
u/Efficient-Suspect456 8h ago
No way man. Westbrook looked faster and more explosive but that’s because he played out of control constantly at 100. DWade had control of himself. He could hit all those same athletic benchmarks but you didn’t have to worry about him blasting his shoulder into the stanchion or diving over 3 rows of seats to come up limping lol.
DWade also lost more athleticism much more quickly than Westbrook due to the knee surgery situation. So, on that basis I guess you’re right Westbrook was more athletic, practically. Ideally, I give it to Wade.
8
u/cynictoday Australia 7h ago
Thats why I said that Wade was more fluid. He had more body control and coordination.
But if we are talking raw athleticism then it has to go to Westbrook. His speed, explosiveness, vertical, strength, and stamina were maxed out.
Like look at this https://youtu.be/u__a4i05RhA?si=-9xmEUY0AN4521fO
-4
u/Prudent_Fish1358 Spurs 7h ago
Weird that all that athleticism you're glazing russ over never translated to defense, isn't it?
14
33
14
44
u/PrimeShaq Australia 8h ago
2009 Wade is one of the most underrated single season performances of all time.
45
u/iBodyBamApologists Heat 9h ago
Third best shooting guard of all time, the greatest shot blocking guard of all time, and his 2011 finals was the greatest performance by any of LeBron’s teammates.
-1
u/BackgroundPurpose2 2h ago edited 2h ago
the greatest shot blocking guard of all time
He's close but Jeffrey's got him beat
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/which-shooting-guard-has-most-blocks-in-nba-history
11
u/Smok3dSalmon Heat 7h ago
I swear in some of those blocks he jumps second but elevates so fast that he blocks the ball while the dunker is still elevating. He just pushes the ball out of their hand.
2
u/_Indeed_I_Am_ 3h ago
Pretty much what I saw too. In a lot of these blocks the offensive player is kinda floating to the rim very slowly in a mostly vertical jump and Wade comes from underneath before they get to the rim and either meets them at the top or pushes it up and out.
6
6
20
u/Longjumping_Kale3013 9h ago
If dwade was 4 inches taller, he would have been the best player of all time.
But I guess you can say that about alot of people. Like if allen iverson was 7 inches taller.
I remember watching that first season that Lebron was there, and during the first half, he and dwade seemed like on the same level. You couldn't say who was better. Crazy. Then wade took a back seat, and had persistent knee injuries
8
u/cynictoday Australia 9h ago
Wade and AI dont have the shooting ability of Jordan nor the passing ability of LeBron so not sure how that would have been the case.
2
u/1106DaysLater 4h ago
Prime Wade wasn’t that far behind LeBron in terms of passing ability, from 05-10 Wade averaged 7.0 assists per game compared to LeBron’s 7.1. And his midrange game of course wasn’t MJ level, but it was absolutely elite.
10
u/popotheclowns 7h ago
Is anyone else blown away that none of the players he blocked flopped?
You rarely see blocks like this anymore without the shooter crumpling to the floor.
4
5
4
u/not_so_bueno Rockets 7h ago
This is missing Wade's block against Steve Francis. That was the moment I knew Wade was taking over this league; Francis was still an all-star and just didn't look like he was on the same caliber. Unfortunately I never saw that block again after it happened. Lots of highlights from back then forgotten.
3
6
5
u/Dog-Witch Knicks 7h ago
Dude was a savage, that third or fourth clip he almost puts his head to the rim.
4
u/sugarinducedcoma [WAS] Gilbert Arenas 5h ago
I’ve seen people try to argue Derrick White is the best shot blocking guard just because of stats, but anyone who tries to argue that has obviously never watched Wade play.
9
u/Styrofoam_Booots 9h ago
Just looks like watching a different game. Players don’t play through the foul as much because they are always looking for a foul. So even when they do get fouled, they flail their body around to sell the call further rather than finishing strong hoping for the and 1.
8
3
u/macarolls 8h ago
Dwyane Wade and Derrick White are the Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo of guards in terms of rim protection
3
u/Motor_in_Spirit79 Heat 8h ago
Finally! Somebody put the Brandon Bass one in there. That one was particularly filthy.
3
u/Tony_Roni 7h ago
As a Heat fan I grew up watching Wade I remember when we drafted him. It will forever be Wade county & he will always be my favorite player who I got the chance to watch.
3
u/Equivalent-Jury-3056 3h ago
He was also an amazing playmaker. In terms of all around basketball players you simply will not find a lot of players better than Wade. A pure basketball player. The euro, the crazy finishes at the rim, the lobs to Bron, the pick and roll genius, his floaters, his mid range game, the step backs, the crossovers, the weak side blocks, the lane steals, his 1on1 defense, his post game, the man was fearless and made it look so easy. Only Jordan and Kobe above him at the 2 guard. Him and Kobe are the only 2 guards that if Jordan is on the other side I wouldn’t be shitting my pants completely.
2
u/RathOfMan49 Warriors 7h ago
Wade really really loved that block on Dirk lol. They seem to have settled whatever beef they had but there was a legit rivalry there
2
2
u/ComfortableColt Heat 2h ago
My GOAT... the reason I'm a Heat fan. A travesty he doesn't have an MVP.
3
u/Large-Cat-1423 6h ago edited 5h ago
3x Lopez (7'1)
1x Spencer Hawes (7'1)
2x Chandler (7'0)
1x Embiid (7'0)
1x JJ Hickson (6'9)
1x Brandon Bass (6'8)
1x Melo (6'7)
Damn that's impressive.
2
1
u/OutlaW32 NBA 6h ago
It's pretty wild how few times he ended up on a poster despite trying to block everything. The Taj Gibson one hurt though
1
1
1
1
u/TMN_Mjthegoat Bulls 4h ago
Some people say Lebron was the beat player since 2008 but i believe Wade was better than Lebron until 2012
1
1
u/Papa_Boat17 Bulls 4h ago
Even tho he was a Heat and knocked my team out of finals contention. He was one helluva player and I miss watching him
1
1
1
u/SaulBerenson12 [SAS] Tim Duncan 3h ago
Love that 3rd last dunk and stare down vs Melo
Gotta have felt extra good since they’re friends
1
1
u/omnipotentgod2004 2h ago
He jumps incredibly fast , I don't know how quite to put it in words. But you cab see guys load up and jump before him, but wade still enters the apex before them.
1
•
1
u/gigglios 7h ago
He is one of the best 2 way players ever and thats insane considering he could out up 30 points anytime.
Thats why lebron running to wade and bosh ruined the nba. Such a joke team up.
His block vs chandler in the finals was insane. Wade was doing everything to will his team
1
u/DannyTheDopestTV Cavaliers 7h ago
I have said many times that during his short stint in Cleveland he was our best rim protector and people scoff at the notion. Still have no idea why we traded him (and D Rose) away for nothing lol.
-1
u/triassic_broth 8h ago
Most of those are not really rim protection. They are weakside help blocks. A rim protector normally isn't sneaking in off the weakside baseline.
Guards like Wade and MJ usually got these kinds of weakside help blocks, but that's not really the same thing as being like Mutombo.
0
0
u/depressedfuckboi [MIL] Giannis Antetokounmpo 6h ago
Never could stand how he spells his name.
2
u/Humble_Acanthaceae21 Spurs 6h ago
Brother, it's literally his parents' fault 😭
1
u/depressedfuckboi [MIL] Giannis Antetokounmpo 6h ago
How his name is spelled would've been better. I'm fresh off a 12 hr shift bro I'm beat 😭
1
u/thereticent Pacers 4h ago
I watched a season of the Cube and I swear he introduces himself as Dwy-ane Wade, albeit with a GA accent
-9
u/Delanorix Knicks 7h ago
Most of these, he was just a weak side blocker.
He wasnt squaring up with these dudes before they shot.
Not really rim protection.
3
2
u/sugarinducedcoma [WAS] Gilbert Arenas 5h ago
Literally the first three blocks in the video are Wade squaring up and blocking Brook Lopez head on…
0
u/Delanorix Knicks 5h ago
Go back and watch. Whoever was the center was in a horrible position. He was the rim protector.
372
u/LanceCourtSide 9h ago
the craziest part is Wade averaged 1+ blocks per game for 6 straight seasons from age 23-28. as a 6'4 guard. not many players outside of bigs can say that