The first question we have to get to is have you played FIFA 17 yet and what’s your record?

Nah, I haven’t played it yet.

Are you going to?

Yeah. I have to get back to the states. [Interview conducted in The Bahamas]

I seem to recall a year ago you said you were going to retire from the game.

[Laughs] I mean, obviously as you age performance declines. I think I’m on the downhill a little bit, but I think I’m going to have a D-Wade year.

Last time we chatted at length was around Summer League, so we haven’t talked about your time with Team USA. The other day you were talking about seeing [Carmelo Anthony], guys that were consistent day-to-day scorers. What did you take from being around them?

That was my favorite part. The biggest takeaway for me was being around those guys. Obviously I was working on my craft outside of that, but there, mostly we were kind of a scout team, dummy defense type of deal. Just seeing those guys’ work ethic, their consistency with every rep, efficiency as well, seeing them shoot the ball the same way. That really clicked with me there. Seeing those guys that have perfect form, some of the best-looking shots, guys like Klay Thompson and [Kevin Durant] and Melo. Seeing them up close and personal, the attention to detail in every rep and just how they get after it – they try to make each rep their best rep, trying to make each rep better than their last rep.

There’s a lot of takeaways just from seeing some of our Top 20 players in the league getting after it.

Was it different, obviously you were in the league already so you shouldn’t have been awestruck or anything, but to see all of them together in one room was the level of play something you hadn’t seen before?

Yeah, in a way. I wasn’t awestruck but it was just, you already know they are great scorers, you know the team that is going to be there, but you forget about how, defensively, a lineup like Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Kyle Lowry, DeAndre Jordan and a guy like KD who is an underrated defender. Just from that aspect I was kind of wowed. There’s not too much you can do as a team. They’re going to switch everything. DeAndre can guard a one. Kyle can guard one-through-three. There’s not much an opposing team can do. That was probably where I was like, ‘Wow, this is a great team.’

Must be a little different when you’re switching a pick-and-roll and you switch off Paul George and all the sudden Carmelo is right there.

Yeah, yeah.

Seeing the way their shots were the same every time, as you said, did that make you want to…

Yeah. Sometimes its just inconsistencies. Whether it’s my wrist or my elbow. It’s just taking one step at a time, understanding it’s a process, and I just want to keep making progress. I’m seeing it. I can feel the shots that feel really good and the shots that feel OK. It’s just about becoming more consistent. Every now and then I shoot a perfect shot and I feel it. I just want to make those every time, or as much as possible.

Last year you had your introduction to the NBA on the court, but was this offseason your introduction to the business, off-court aspect of the league?

That’s been ongoing. It started last year in Summer League, acquiring different guys and trades and that sort of thing. But for sure, in free agency that business aspect comes into play. This has just been a big summer for me because now I know how to approach an offseason whether it’s longer or shorter. Understanding the rest that my body needs. Workouts, how long they should be. Attention to detail. I really grew as a player and a pro during the season but just as much in the offseason. Being able to look back and reflect, analyze my game and how I can get better. But all within how I can stay healthy and not take away my legs.

We talked right at the beginning of playoffs about what you wanted to do in your career, becoming an All-Star, but you specifically mentioned then watching [Andre Iguodala], looking at his scoring totals, knowing you don’t have to [be a volume scorer] to be a notable player. But that was you as a rookie on a team making the playoffs. Now the situation has changed a little bit?

The thing about Iggy and guys like Tristan [Thompson] is just being a star in your role. Obviously Iggy doesn’t need to score as much but when he was in Philly he took on more of that role. It’s just understanding your role and being a superstar in your role. That’s something that Tristan preaches a lot.

Last year if we did have all those guys come back obviously my role wouldn’t be to try and put the ball in the hole as much, but with this team I want to step up and fill that void. I feel like this summer I’ve added things to my game to help me do that, but a lot that I’ve added was mentally. Just hanging around those guys picking their brain. I spent a lot of time with Kyrie. A guy like DeAndre, picking his brain about defensive stuff. Being around those guys, they’ve seen every coverage.

Jimmy [Butler] has gone from people going under him on ball screens to people going over the top. He knows that, he knows the feeling of how to attack when people are going under. That’s something that I’m sure people are going to start the season doing to me. Just understanding that, preparing, twisting the ball screens, things like that. A lot of it is the physical attributes, getting your skills up there, but more of it is mental. Especially at this stage. There’s not much that separates guys as far as skill level. Just understanding how to process a team mentally, how to be a leader, how to get the most out of your guys. That’s where I am right now.

With Jimmy specifically, some folks last year were looking at Jimmy and his developmental curve – it was his third and fourth year when he started being a volume scorer – obviously it's only your second year and there’s a lot on your plate. You seem mentally prepared for it all but when you’re coming to practice, and you’ve mentioned being a Swiss Army Knife, you all of a sudden have to do a lot of things all at the same time. It’s not like you can focus on one thing at a time in increments.

I mean I want to be a scorer but above all, I want to be a playmaker. Scoring goes into that, rebounding, defending, passing the ball. They’re going to use me in all type of ways and that’s how I want to be. I never want to put myself in a box. Even today, I had a pull-up jumper, hit a spot-up, posted up. Until they put me in a box I’m not going to put myself in a box. I’m not going to focus too much on every skill, I’m going to try to use the ones I know I’m going to use and get those better.

Just a guy like Jimmy, the biggest thing I learned is everyone has their own race. Jimmy had two-three years to develop. I kind of had maybe a year and we’ll see how this year goes. Carmelo was the go-to guy right away. D-Wade was more a year-and-a-half, half-a-year. It’s just understanding that you want to push your limits and become the best player you can be as fast as you can, but you have to understand it’s a process and you’re going to mess up. There’s going to be nights when you shoot 2-for-11 or whatever, but you have to be able to mentally block everything out. Block out the noise. We’ve been doing a lot of the psych stuff here, trying to teach your brain mentally how to overcome stuff.

There are a lot on my plate right now but I’m a hungry guy. I need a lot.

Are you more vocal this year? You seem to have come a long way from being the quiet guy in training camp last season.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Part of that was, even as a person off the court, just being OK with who I am. The weird guy I am. The music I listen to or whatever it may be. Just being comfortable and understanding that I’m me and you have to be confident in that.

I’m taking the off the court goofy stuff, the joking around, the dancing, and I’ve kind of brought that to the court. Just be yourself. When its time to joke, joke. If you want to show somebody something, show somebody something. I want this team to win, and I want to win as soon as possible. Part of that is going to be us all being on the same page. If I see something and I don’t say anything, that falls back on me negatively. Just trying to shed light whenever, being able to take criticism and give it. Just try to fill the void that’s in the HEAT basketball team right now.

Is it a little easier to do that now that this team is mostly guys that are your peers rather than being around guys that you grew up watching?

Sort of. I think if certain guys were back this year they would’ve been more of the voice and I may have taken a back seat and let them do more of the talking. But guys like James [Johnson] have really been pushing me to be that leader. Even before we got to camp. Whether we were doing drills upstairs or we were playing, he would ask me, ‘Step up’. He’s been helping me, guys like Josh McRoberts as well, just forcing me, throwing me in the middle, to be that leader in the circle of guys. I want to be the leader, but those guys are helping to bring me a long.

They’re all vets but not all of them have been a leader on a team. James comes from Toronto, so I’m not sure but say DeMar was the leader, so he knew what DeMar did. Josh came from different teams. Wayne came from different teams. Dion understands how LeBron and KD were leaders. They’re trying to get those same qualities out of me.