The three-point shot has become one of the most important offensive assets of the modern NBA. Many teams’ entire offensive philosophy revolves around their ability to convert perimeter shots. However, this has not always been the case. Dwyane Wade played in an era where three-pointers weren’t the focal point. And the Miami Heat legend’s feelings about outside shots aren’t exactly positive.
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Throughout Wade’s 16-year NBA career, he was a below-average three-point shooter. His career average was 29.3% from beyond the arc on just 1.8 attempts per game. He only had two seasons in his career where he averaged more than one three-point make per game.
His low frequency of three-point conversions didn’t hinder Wade’s offensive output, though. He still managed to average 22.0 points per game across his career. Regardless, defenses stuck to Wade like glue, even if he was past the three-point line. Wade explained the reason behind this tenacious treatment despite his lack of outside shooting on the Pardon My Take podcast.
“Here’s the thing, if I’m not a three-point shooter and you play off of me, when I get the ball I’m coming downhill at you,” he said. “You cannot stop me.”
The flattery from defenses never sparked a change in Wade’s play style. Unlike Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, Wade didn’t make a conscious effort to become a prolific three-point shooter, and his reasoning to do so was motivated by Michael Jordan’s iconic take on the shot.
“It wasn’t my job to shoot threes,” Wade confessed. “Michael Jordan had a quote where he’s like, “I don’t want to be a great three-point shooter because it takes away what I’m great at and what I love about my game because it makes me stay on the perimeter searching for threes.”
Those words left a strong imprint on Wade’s career. He ensured he never lost sight of his abilities that made him such a potent offensive threat, and that came from attacking the basket.
Wade’s craftiness resulted in him finding another way to get extra points without three-pointers. He mastered the art of the pump fake, which allowed him to get three points the old-fashioned way.
“The pump fake I stole from Sam Cassell,” Wade revealed. “Because I wasn’t a three-point shooter, the defense’s natural reaction is to stop you the closer you get to the basket. How do you recover? Jump.”
Wade’s career trajectory is a perfect example of a player staying true to himself. He didn’t let the input of others change the way he played the game. As a result, he ended up a hall of famer with his own statue outside Kaseya Center. Quite a see-off for a player with only 549 career threes.
