By: Giancarlo Navas

“Washed” is a term media types and fans are using to describe Dwyane Wade. Heat fans still worship him as a top-10 player. However, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Let’s first look at what he is doing in terms of his efficiency. Dwyane Wade is shooting 48% from the field overall (which for him is subpar). Let us look at a more telling efficiency stat, which is TS% (True Shooting %). TS% accounts for free throws and 3 pointers. It is to be noted that Wade is in the top 15 in free throw attempts a game (5.8).

Wade is posting a TS% of 54%, which is right at league average. One would think that citing his league average TS% is an indictment to Wade more than anything. There is a caveat however.

Wade has a usage % of 34.7%, which is second in the NBA. Now, given that number let me explain the relationship of TS% and USG%.

The idea is that the more a player shoots the less efficient he is. This is proven empirically. Here is a nice graphical study on this.

Now with that in mind let’s revisit Wade’s TS%, which is at 54%. Let’s also remember his USG%, which is 35%. In the history of the NBA only 3 players have posted a TS% over 54 and have USG% over 34 that are also over 30 years old. Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade. The other two guys are former MVP’s and first ballot Hall of Famers.

What is shown above is the relationship between TS% and USG%. I graphed every player that was over 30 years old and had a usage% over 30. As you can see, the relationship is linear. The more you are used, the less efficient you are.

It is logical. No way is a player who is relied on for so much only going to take the best shots. With more offensive responsibilities, a player might be forced to take a shot that isn’t very efficient. It also takes into account fatigue and other variables that come with such an offensive burden.

There is a value in a player who can maintain efficiency while he is being asked to do a lot. Wade in this 2014-2015 season is being used at a rate which has only happened 5 times for a player his age. Only 50 times has a player over 30 years old had a usage % of 30 or more. Those 50 times spreads across only 25 players.

Wade is scoring 21.5 PPG which ranks him 10th in the NBA this season. Wade is scoring those 21.5 points on 17.4 shots a game. Klay Thompson who is at 21.3 ppg is scoring them on 16.9, which is very similar to Wade. Kyrie Irving is scoring 22 ppg on 16.7 shots and Lillard is scoring 21.2 ppg on 16.8 shots per game. Those numbers are to put some context on what Wade is doing in terms of his efficiency.

Now let’s get something clear. Kyrie is playing with LeBron and has a spread floor with excellent shooters. Klay is a second option who typically has the second best perimeter defender on him. Klay has 400 assisted FG’s, Wade has only 174. Klay is taking 43% of his shots without a defender 2-6 feet from him. Wade is at 26%. So those numbers need some content and should be discerned.

Another area of Wade’s game to look at is his post-game. For players that have at least a 13% post up frequency (Wade’s number is 15%), Wade is 3rd for guards in post-up efficiency. Miami gets 0.92 points per possession (ppp) every time he posts up. He is shooting 47% out of the post and an absurd 56% off turnaround fadeaways. Because of how players fear Wade’s pump fakes, players are staying down on shots giving him more room for the turnaround fade away. Wade is getting a foul called on almost 15% of his post-ups. Wade is getting into the post 3.5 times per game.

Wade has been very effective at the rim as well, shooting 69% from 0-3 feet. That ranks #2 for guards in the NBA behind his backcourt partner Goran Dragic (70%). To put it into context, Wade is shooting a higher FG% at the rim then Mozgov, Vucevic, Brook Lopez and Enes Kanter — all of those players are centers.

Let’s take a look at Wade’s midrange game. He is shooting an overall 41% from midrange, which is right around league average. Below you will find his shot chat for the 2014-2015 season separated into zones. For reference LA= League Average and DST = Shot Distribution.

Looking into specific shots Wade is taking, you will see that he is 68% on bank shots. Wade’s floater has been reliable at 47%, which is a good tool to use when a defense isn’t allowing for better open shots. Wade’s pull-up shot has been superb at 63% and as previously mentioned, his turnaround fadeaway is at 56%.

With all that said, there are shot that Wade takes with volume that he is not shooting a good % at. His step back jumper is the 6 most attempted shot he takes and he is shooting it at 33%. Wade has taken 444 jump shots all season and he is shooting an abysmal 31.3% on them.

It is to be noted that Wade has taken 482 shots in the paint and is shooting 57% overall and that area of the court is where he takes most of his shots.

Wade is in the top 15 in assist % which is kind of amazing considering that Miami isn’t littered with shot makers. Wade is also, somehow, in the top 10 in scoring in the NBA. The notion that Wade is “washed” might be something that is a bit over stated. His numbers are in a clear decline and it is wise to keep in mind that he is asked to do a lot for a depleted team trying to make the playoff at 33 years old.

His game has aged and not in a traditional way. He isn’t taking 3’s like guys who age at his position typically do (he will barely make 100 3’s). Instead, he is shooting more midrange shots and getting to the rim. He is going to the post more and making hard cuts to the basket. He only has 21 dunks on the year and that is who he is now. A high volume wing player who will get to the free throw line at an above average rate, finish at the time at an elite level and has an okay midrange game to open the floor a bit. He isn’t Westbrook.

He isn’t the guy anymore who had a season where his PER and PPG were over 30 (Only he Wilt, TMac and Jordan ever accomplished that). Wade once had a year that he had 2000+ points, 500+ assists, 100+ blocks and 100+ steals.

He is the only player ever to do that. He has limitations now, he cannot shoot threes, he takes up space in an era of spread pick and rolls (which Wade has not been good in pick and rolls this year. He is shooting 42% as a pick and roll ball handler) and his defense is suspect at times.

All that being said, the numbers suggest he is still producing at a very high level and his numbers are still on par with the new young stars in the NBA. The bar Dwyane Wade has set is so high that any slip from a superstar to very good player is meet with cries of overreaction and little perspective.

A good example of that is how Wade’s PER has dropped almost every year since his 2008-2009 season. Even with that drop, Wade is in the top 15 in PER and has been that whole time. The asterisk on the season suggests he was not in the Top 10, but in the Top 15.

National media members writing him off week after week is absurd, but also the fans who still want to believe that Wade is one of the 15 best players in the league is also. The truth lies somewhere in the middle — kind of where he likes his jumper.