Now that he’s in Chicago, Dwyane Wade appears to be committing himself more to the three-point shot than he ever did in his 13 years in Miami, and his old coach is taking notice.
After Wade hit four of six attempts from deep in the Bulls’ 105-99 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday, including a clutch three with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter to seal the win, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra found it appropriate to bestow a new nickname on the 12-time All-Star.
“Shoot, he looks like Dwyane Korver right now,” Spoelstra said in a nod to Atlanta Hawks marksman Kyle Korver, per Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel. “Don’t let him fool you. He would put up those kind of numbers during the playoffs when it really mattered, when defenses tightened up. He can answer that bell when needed. He can adapt to whatever is needed.”
Wade has been widely regarded as one of the most buttery midrange shooters in NBA history, but he never really added the three-pointer to arsenal, shooting just 28.6 percent in 1.6 attempts per game from beyond the arc for his career. But approaching 35 years of age in a league where wing players need to be able to hit the three, Wade is taking a step or two back and showing a newfound dedication to the deep ball now that he’s a Bull.
The three-time champion shot 43.8 percent from three for Chicago in the preseason and was even canning shots from distance in his final postseason as a member of the Heat, hitting 12 out of 23 attempts as Purple Shirt Guy may remember. For a Bulls team that badly needs the spacing, having the spirit of Kyle Korver invigorate Wade will only be a good thing for them this season.
