Dwyane Wade celebrated his 30th birthday over the weekend. What should his fans expect in the future as he struggles with injuries this season?
This article will use the Wins Produced stat. Average players produce 0.100 Wins per 48 minutes (WP48), star players produce +0.200 WP48 and great players produced +0.300 WP48. See the HEAT Produced Page for more information.
For his career, Wade's produced 94 wins and 0.219 WP48. As this article pointed out, his career production ranks 8th among shooting guards in the NBA's modern era (post-1978), and he should be in the top five by the end of the 2013 season if he stays healthy.
Unfortunately, Wade has not been healthy this season. He's only producing an estimated 0.145 WP48, which would be his lowest average since he was riddled with injuries in 2008 and only produced 0.097 WP48.
Offensively, Wade has struggled with his shot this season. He's posting below average numbers in shooting efficiency from the floor (44%) and the line (71%). He's also getting to the line less (three less free throw attempts per 48 minutes) and scoring less as a result of all those factors. Defensively, Wade is grabbing two less defensive rebounds per game. See the HEAT Produced Page.
If Wade gets healthy, then all those numbers should improve and the HEAT should be positioned to win the first of those eight titles Pat Riley and LeBron James talked about.
Life after 30 should be pretty sweet for Wade: He'll be chasing Kobe Bryant for third in Wins Produced among shooting guards from the modern era while doing something Michael Jordan and Kobe couldn't do - win a title after 35.
Happy Birthday, D-Wade.
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