Dwyane Wade - Midrange Mastery

Dwyane Wade is a midrange maestro. “I’m confident in my mid-range more than any shot,” Wade said. “I feel like my mid-range is as good as any other shot I take.” In his final year with the Miami Heat, he attempted just 44 three pointers during the season, compare that to 1139 shots inside the arc (the third highest 2 point field goal attempt mark in the entire league), and it’s easy to see where Wade butters his bread. He converted 533 2-point field goals, which was good for 9th in the league. Obviously not all of those shots were midrange jumpers, but those figures perfectly illustrate the old school nature of Father Prime.

At 34 years of age, the Olympic Gold Medalist averaged only 30.5 minutes per game through 74 games, but when it came time to be the man, he was in fine form. Each of Miami’s two playoff series went to 7 games, and Wade had his largest scoring output since 2010-2011, with 21.4 points per game (15th in the league for the postseason) and the 12th best Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of the entire playoffs.

The point of this video is to showcase what a special player Dwyane still continues to be. Age is starting to catch up to him, but there’s something ageless about the midrange game. His moves, jukes, jab dribbles, shoulder shimmies, and footwork are all things to be studied and admired, so I put together a few of them here for exactly that reason. These are all from the 2015-16 season aka his final run in Florida. To paraphrase Cypress Hill, he's insane in the mid-range.

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[MistahJay]

Flash's game is just so aesthetically GOATED. Just so smooth with it

[Kal-El]

Mid Range is where all the beauty of shooting in basketball happens.

[ninjachannel]

The focus is on his exceptional mid-range shooting, but the ballhandling in this vid is also a testament to how great Wade was. That doesn't even consider his finishing, passing, and shot-blocking.

[KS-jnbs]

His mid-range jumper was always strong outside of '04, '10 and '12. Hate when people say him and LeBron are identical shooters... they're not. Wade has a far superior mid-range jumper (compare '06/'07/'11 Finals. LeBron is a better 3 point shooter, though.

[guardedsoulz]

Wade is no joke. I always liked the way he gets to his spots, *when it comes to rising up for that pull-up in the midrange area.*

[dwaynevega]

He reminds me of Jordan and kobe the way he fades, , shit is beautiful

[christianolson]

Such a efficient player for an undersized 2 guard without a 3 point shot. Great finisher inside and had all the mid range moves to get good looks. He made tough looks as well. Remarkable NBA talent. I think, somehow, he has fallen into the underrated category. Couldn’t stop him. Too quick. Too efficient. Too crafty. Too reliable around the basket. So athletic in his prime with a lethal first step and could stop on a dime. Man what a player! At 6’4, you could rely on him to hop up there and finish lob passes as well. Man. I love D Wade.

[Manu-qqim]

Dwade may not be a good 3pt shooter, but he’s midrange was elite. Never focused about his numbers and just wanted to win. He’s still elite without doing too much, without stat-padding, and always played the game the right way. That’s why he’s underrated if we’re talking about him in the all time great.

[RealRobbyRobb]

Truly perfecting your craft. Half of these shots don't even touch the rim

[jerryallover]

This is proof that this guy is the greatest. He has mastered the game! His talent surpasses all. When Wade is in full beastmode, his game becomes legendary. His game is not just good, it's awesome. He takes and makes shots that are incredible. His confidence and poise shows me how qualified this guy is to be the greatest of all time. The perfect end to his career is finishing his career in Chicago, the fans will experience his all round dominance of the game. Wade is the father of today's guard, they all studied him. Westbrook is not on the same level as DWade. Harden, Klay, Derozan. Wade is still king of the game lowkey. Lebron is the face, Kobe was the face, Mike is the game and Wade is the legend. Steph is now the face, Lebron is hanging on, Kobe retired, Mike is still the game and Wade is still a legend.

[flaming]

I grew up watching Jordan but Wade is my favorite 2 guard.

[TGMasaka]

He's not Jordan, but you can see just how much Jordan and Kobe inspired that mid range jumper game.
I remember when Wade first got in the league, he was all about attacking the basket and using his athleticism, but towards the end of his career, one had to respect the evolution of moves that he developed. He became one hell of a guard, between his stellar defense and his offensive arsenal, he may not be the greatest of the greats, but he has for damned sure earned his respect.

[WeenieDew]

I noticed wade hoops different in the road wearing that black. His game look silkier on the road you can tell he enjoy hooping in other arenas

[PhooPhooMagoo]

Forever my starting point guard in sports talk or 2k. Callin him 6'4 is a stretch and he could do any and everything you can possibly think of on a basketball court. Lock up and strip your quickest guard, block your bigman at the rim, take you to the hole, post up, mid range pull up. Try to cover all that and he'll just find a wide open teammate. Unreal player.

[HunchoHamza]

Anyone hear dude say. No way when wade took the shot and then Shit when he made it at 3:00

[christianolson]

He’s basically an under control Westbrook, with a smoother jumper and wanted to win instead of collecting big stat lines. Maybe a little less fast and not quite the freakish leaper, but Wade could definitely jump, rebound, and was lightning quick, especially with his first step

[trevorreed]

great video man D-WADE THE GREAT! He has perfected his mid range game since he can't slash a lot anymore he still does it but not as much due to age and injuries

[vinjoned]

My dad said he was A mix of Penny and Kobe with the defensive Skills of Gary Payton But with Shotblocking.The league had no idea how to contain him for the first 5 years

[christiandarylmendoza]

That footwork and handles. Its like the stepbacks and side steps of the 2020s

[kingwani]

3rd best sg in history be hind kobe and jordan