Better longevity: Dwight or Wade?

[Lebronxrings]

well im a wade fan but i gotta go dwight here. Was a dominant force in the league, took his team to the finals and was one of the greatest defensive players ever. Had kobe not ruined him, he could have been a top 15 player easily.

[IllegalD]

This is patently false. Wade has looked nothing like 2014 finals Wade this season (and last season too when healthy). He's averaged 24/5/5 per-36 the past 2 seasons. He just had a bad finals. He was also too heavy and has since shed some weight. In case you hadn't noticed he's the leading scorer for a number 3 seed (currently) and will play in 74 games. He's obviously bounced back from his poor finals performance and is still an all-star caliber player.

If this bullsh*t were true you would use his actual stats instead of having to rely on per-36.

[GrapeApe]

If this bullsh*t were true you would use his actual stats instead of having to rely on per-36.

Fine. 21/6/4 in 2015 and 19/5/4 this season. Top 3 PER among SG's both seasons. His raw numbers were't even my main point, which you clearly missed. The point was that he has been a very productive player since the 2014 finals.

There's also nothing wrong with using per-36 numbers for older players who play fewer minutes. It's a good measure of on-court production. Again though, that wasn't my point.

[Meticode]

Wade's decline was going to come sooner than it was originally when he had his MCLs removed. Faster fix, but it shortens youre career. Honestly at 34 I'm surprised he's still playing as good as he is. But a lot of his game doesn't have to do with athleticism, and more so with footwork and getting his defender off balanced.

[GrapeApe]

Wade's decline was going to come sooner than it was originally when he had his MCLs removed. Faster fix, but it shortens youre career. Honestly at 34 I'm surprised he's still playing as good as he is. But a lot of his game doesn't have to do with athleticism, and more so with footwork and getting his defender off balanced.

Excellent post, and a lot of people don't realize that Wade's knee problems date back to college. There's also been a misconception that he relies on athleticism. He is highly skilled. He's crafty, he has great balance and body control, court vision, instincts, timing, footwork, and he has an outstanding acumen for the game. His skill has always been highly underrated.

His high level of play this season is almost entirely from skill and veteran savvy. Occasionally he'll turn back the clock and have a vintage moment, but his "old man game" is now his bread and butter. The old man game is why I think he can still be an all-star caliber player for a few more seasons.

[COnDEMnED]

People have strange definitions foe longevity... Surely it's just playing at a high level for a long time.. If someone comes into the league at 18 and dominates from then until there 35, that's elite longevity, 17 seasons at the top.

People seem to think longevity only starts when you hit 35 and what happens before that isn't relevant.. Wade is older than LeBron for example but lebron already has better longevity as he has had 12 elite seasons.

I think our different point of views are just a matter of semantics and circumstances. I see where you and AJ are coming from, I just think if you haven't reached that "decline phase", which is up for interpretation in and of itself, we're not discussing longevity.....we're discussing careers.
Enter NBA--Career--Decline Phase--Longevity--Retire--Overall Career

[Jacks3]

Wade's "longevity" is total crap. Guy left his prime at 29 and only had five true superstar seasons. I have no idea why his stans are so impressed by his current season. 19/5/4/1 with one of the highest usage rates in the league (32%) and crappy efficiency (52% TS, 103 ORTG). And he's one of the worst shooters in basketball (34% from 10-16 feet, 38% from 16-23 feet, 19% from three).

Very unimpressive.

[GrapeApe]

Wade's "longevity" is total crap. Guy left his prime at 29 and only had five true superstar seasons. I have no idea why his stans are so impressed by his current season. 19/5/4/1 with one of the highest usage rates in the league (32%) and crappy efficiency (52% TS, 103 ORTG). And he's one of the worst shooters in basketball (34% from 10-16 feet, 38% from 16-23 feet, 19% from three).

Very unimpressive.

It's called perspective. He has the 3rd highest PER ever for a 34 year old SG. Only Jordan and Kobe have been better at the same age. Nobody is saying he's still a superstar, but he's having an excellent season for a SG his age and he's the lesding scorer for a 50-ish win team. He's also been statistically one of the most clutch players in the league this year and he's been very solid defensively.

Wade may have had a relatively short prime due to the injuries, but through 13 seasons he has career averages of 24/6/5/2/1 on 49% and a 25 PER. Very few guards in history have those kind of numbers. Also, his prime actually didn't end until he was 31 (bone bruise injury late in 2013 season). At 30 years old he had the 3rd best PER in the league (26.3). At 31 he had the 8th best (24.0). Those are both late prime seasons.

[Jacks3]

It's called perspective. He has the 3rd highest PER ever for a 34 year old SG. Only Jordan and Kobe have been better at the same age. Nobody is saying he's still a superstar, but he's having an excellent season for a SG his age and he's the lesding scorer for a 50-ish win team. He's also been statistically one of the most clutch players in the league this year and he's been very solid defensively.

Wade may have had a relatively short prime due to the injuries, but through 13 seasons he has career averages of 24/6/5/2/1 on 49% and a 25 PER. Very few guards in history have those kind of numbers. Also, his prime actually didn't end until he was 31 (bone bruise injury late in 2013 season). At 30 years old he had the 3rd best PER in the league (26.3). At 31 he had the 8th best (24.0). Those are both late prime seasons.

He's a good player, but nothing more. Nowhere near as impressive as Kobe or Jordan.

[SouBeachTalents]

He's a good player, but nothing more. Nowhere near as impressive as Kobe or Jordan.

Peak Wade was a great player