How the Miami Heat plan to replace Dwyane Wade
It will take a group effort for the Miami Heat to replace Dwyane Wade at shooting guard.
How do you replace Dwyane Wade in Miami? A guy that has been synonymous with not only the Heat, but Miami sports period, for over a decade? The short-term answer is simpler than the long-term answer.
The long-term answer is: you don’t. The man helped the Miami Heat bring three championships to Biscayne Boulevard and his impact on the area cannot be replaced. Guys with his character, drive, intensity and perseverance don’t grow on trees. The mere idea that we’re discussing replacing Dwayne Wade as a free agent and not as a recent retiree is extremely saddening. But here we are.
Speaking strictly on the court, the short-term answer to replacing Wade is a by-committee approach. In addition to the impressive rookie Josh Richardson, the Heat matched the Nets’ offer sheet for Tyler Johnson, and signed free agent guards Wayne Ellington and Rodney McGruder.
It is easier to understand the roles of Johnson and Richardson since they are returning players. Both guys will be sure to get more minutes in the combo guard role that Wade excelled at. Richardson has been working hard on his ball handling and play making in the Summer League. He is also already a much better long-distance shooter (46% on threes last season) than Wade was. Johnson has a year of experience on Richardson and his per-36 numbers (13.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.3 apg) show that he could be in line to replicate some of Wade’s production with more minutes.
Ellington is a journeyman in the NBA, playing on his seventh team in seven seasons. He wll be counted on to be either the fourth guard off the bench, or provide veteran leadership for the younger guys who could all play ahead of him. His 38% three point shooting will be a definite welcome addition to a group that struggled heavily behind the arc.
McGruder, the newest signee from the D-League, and member of the Heat’s Summer League team, may be one of the Heat’s projects. During this previous season with Sioux Falls, he proved himself to be a pretty good all-around player, as he averaged 16 points, six rebounds, and two assists per game.
All of these guards bring something good to the table that can help ease the loss of Wade, but expecting any of them to completely replace the magic and greatness that Wade provided is a really tall task that is difficult to ask of anyone.