Dwayne Wade was hoping to bring the same fire he showed last season to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but nothing has so far happened. Worse, he has been struggling to justify his role as a starter despite playing alongside good buddy LeBron James.
As CBS Sports points out, the all-star guard has been a woeful sight for the last three games. He has averaged only 5.7 points 2 rebounds and 3.3 assists, far from what one may call all-star numbers. To sum it all up, he is simply playing badly.
Period of adjustment
To be fair, Wade’s move to Cleveland was a bit rushed.
He was hardly able to acclimatize himself to the plays and blend in with his new team. Aside from James, the rest of the Cavs are technically new teammates the 35-year-old guard needs to adjust to.
Right now, it remains to be seen if Wade can adjust in time to prove he still has game. Wade admitted in an interview with ESPN that he continues to try and find his way and hopefully where he best fits in with the Cavs.
Unlike his days with the Miami Heat, Wade understands he is no longer top dog. Regardless, he is aware that he needs to do his part in contributing to the team’s cause if they are to make a serious run at making the NBA finals.
James unperturbed
Cavs fans have aired their opinions, but James has kept the faith.
LeBron knows that Wade will eventually find his way and is fully aware that they need to help him discover his role.
The good news is that Wade and the Cavs are still in the infancy stages of the 2017-18 NBA season. They have plenty of time to adjust, and hopefully, it turns out for the best. So far, coach Tyronn Lue seems to be sticking to Wade as a starter.
Could tweaking the starting roster be coming soon?
No sense benching Wade
With Derrick Rose injured (again), Wade needs to understand that the Cavs need him now more than ever. The original plan was for him to play the shooting guard and eventually take over D-Rose’s position in the opening period.
The landscape has obviously changed with Rose’s ankle injury.
Lue may call on Wade to start at the point and may even be forced to play extensive minutes. It is an uncanny situation but a reality that Wade and the Cavs need to figure out fast.
Wade is a tried and tested veteran so battling through adversity is nothing new. At this stage of his career, he may not be as flashy as before. However, the Cavs do have faith in him, and Wade just needs more time to adjust. His arrival was fast-tracked, and chemistry issues were a prime concern – something most have noticed.
