Ranking 15 worst starters of the Dwyane Wade era
By Tyler Watts
1. Yakhouba Diawara
The French wing went undrafted in 2005 after playing college basketball at Pepperdine and Southern Idaho. He returned to Europe before finally landing an NBA gig with the Nuggets in 2006. Diawara immediately jumped into the rotation and played for two years before signing with the Heat as a free agent in 2008.
The 6’7 wing played 13.5 minutes per game. He averaged just 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds and shot just 35.0 percent from the field, but somehow made 21 starts. Diawara was limited to just 4.2 minutes per game in the playoffs and should have never started.
The 27-year-old played in just six games the following season before returning to Europe to finish his playing career. Yakhouba Diawara was a fringe NBA player who should not have been starting next to a first-ballot Hall of Famer on a playoff team.
The Miami Heat had several regrettable starters during Dwyane Wade’s prime, but can they do better with their current core? The franchise has reached the NBA Finals in two of the last four years, and Pat Riley is eager for another title. Stay tuned to see if the legend can deliver the first one without D-Wade on the roster.
