Dwyane Wade up until this point has been one of the Miami Heat‘s workhorses. Even last season, when it was said that Chris Bosh was supposed to be the leader of this team, and that Wade has passed his prime, he still pushed himself to average over 21 points per game, which is not something that is easy to do. There were several times when he had a great output of scoring such as against the Utah Jazz where Wade scored 42 points. But Wade is going to need to do some things in order to get better for next season.

He has to get in shape again. Unfortunately, at Wade’s age of 33, it is important for him to be in good shape. He has to condition himself well so that he can run up and down the court with all the younger guys. I would say that he needed to go back to his trainer Tim Grover to receive training. Making the constant cuts that Wade needs to make in the offseason will help him get into shape for the whole season. That was a big dispute amongst media members that he wasn’t in shape enough to be able to get through the season, the playoffs and the NBA Finals.

He also has to make strides in his jumpshooting. It isn’t just that he needs to get better at taking the ball to the rim anymore. Those days are over. What Wade needs to do is severely work on his three-point shot. Last year he shot an okay percentage, and played well. But it still wasn’t enough. He only shot 28 percent from there. If he got a three-point shot, and he shot around 36 to 37 percent from three-point range, he would add a dimension to his game that would make him lethal.

His ability to get to the rim is still really good, even if he can’t finish at the rim. He is crafty enough that he is still able to make the layup usually. He has been able to provide midrange shooting for the time, but because he has no three-point line, just like they do Rajon Rondo, a lot of defenses don’t really play him at the three-point line.

The other thing that Wade needs to focus on is his defense. His defense has not been good for the past two seasons, and this season are going to need Wade to lead on offense and defense. Defensively, there are a lot of holes in his game, specifically when he has to chase offensive players around screens. Wade also likes to go off his man for steals and blocks, something he used to do when he was younger, but can no longer do. I would like to see him focus on lateral movements and begin to try to leverage his body on defense so that he isn’t putting too much strain on his knee.

These are things that Wade needs to do to be effective next season. Who knows? It could be his last effective season.