The benefits of starting Dwyane Wade

The Cleveland Cavaliers starting Dwyane Wade is a move that ultimately benefits LeBron James.

If Dwyane Wade and LeBron James fit together like peanut butter and jelly, it would make sense for Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue to place Wade in the starting lineup.

Not only will Wade be one of two starting players (the other being Kevin Love) James has played with extensively but starting Wade at shooting guard beside Derrick Rose relieves James from some of his playmaking duties.

Rose has already looked more like a consistent facilitator than Irving had looked since The Return, averaging 7.4 assists per 36 minutes in two preseason games with the Cavs. In the regular season, Rose’s career-high assists per 36 minutes average was 8.0. Irving’s career-high assists per 36 minute average was 6.4, set in his rookie season. His highest assists per 36 minutes average since The Return is 6.0, set last year.

There’s a real difference in the willingness that Rose has to pass the ball to open teammates and, despite Rose being aggressive throughout the preseason, he hasn’t let himself get consumed with one-on-one battles as Irving was want to do.

Adding Wade will only free James up for more easy looks on the court.

Wade has averaged 3.9 assists per 36 minutes in two preseason games. Compared to former starter J.R. Smith, who averaged 3.4 assists per 36 minutes with the Cavs last season and 3.9 assists per 36 minutes in his first season with the Cavs, there won’t be much drop off from a production standpoint. However, only looking at how Wade has performed this preseason doesn’t accurately illustrate the difference in the playmaking abilities of Wade and Smith; Wade has a career-high of 7.2 assists per 36 minutes while Smith’s career-high is 3.6.

Wade, who entered the league as a point guard, has a wealth of NBA experience and an extremely high basketball IQ. He’ll be able to diagnose what he sees on the court as it happens and find the open man more consistently than Smith, who doesn’t have the court vision that Wade has. Wade will also be able to make plays off-the-dribble more consistently than Smith; Wade’s role has always been that of a scorer and playmaker while Smith’s role as revolved around being a catch-and-shoot threat since he won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award (2013).

While Wade makes plays for others off-the-dribble, he’ll certainly work well in tandem with James. With the Miami Heat, James and Wade routinely found each other for easy baskets.

Wade’s synergy with James was so significant that Irving studied the Miami Heat’s offense from when Wade and James were teammates in order to find out how to make the game easier for James last year. While Wade, like Smith, will toss the King a lot of crowd-pleasing lobs in transition, Wade’s ability to find James cutting in the halfcourt will be a new wrinkle to the Cavs offense.

The Cavs are essentially replacing Irving with Rose (until Isaiah Thomas returns), replacing Smith with Jae Crowder and replacing Tristan Thompson with Wade. Looking at it like that, the Cavs have certainly lost a lot in terms of their catch-and-shoot players though they’ve replaced Thompson with a capable volume scorer, a nice change in terms of the team’s dynamics.

However, the Cavs offense thrives on space. Rose will make an early sub, likely for a shooter like Smith, so the Cavs will have normal spacing eventually. However, until that time (and until Thomas returns to the starting lineup, James should play more off-ball. Especially because spotting up behind the line should give Rose and Wade extra space on drives. Functioning as a catch-and-shoot threat in place of Irving also puts James in a position to make those off-ball cuts that result in a dime from Wade.

Last season, James made 40.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes in the regular season and 37.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes in the postseason. He’ll be a very solid spot-up shooter for the Cavs, although his efficiency as a catch-and-shoot player isn’t at the level that Irving’s was. Irving made 48.2 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes in the regular season and 53.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes in the postseason.

Don’t assume Wade and Rose won’t get in on the catch-and-shoot action but they’ll mostly operate from the corners, which puts them in position to receive passes from sneaky cuts as well.

As a scorer, Wade (who averaged 18.3 points per game last season) will make his living on post-ups, pick-and-rolls, drives, off-ball cuts and in isolation. His methodical scoring will rely on experience, timing and talent, factors that often enhance his efficiency. So too will the talent and shooters that surround him on the team. The efficiency and potency of his scoring will be a nice switchup for the offense and because of his scoring ability, there’s a lot of pressure taken off of James.

(Editor’s note: Wade’s efficiency might even bring about a return of the Efficiency Games between Wade and James, where they would both try to be as efficient as possible throughout the game. Efficient and calculated baskets led to the Miami Heat winning two titles in four seasons, something the Cavs would love as they try to reach the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive time (having only won one championship.)

Where before James was one of two players who could create their own offense, he’s now one of three players (four, when Thomas returns). That should help James have enough energy to be a stud on the defensive end, especially because with Wade (and Rose) James can now go to the bench without worrying about whether or not the team can succeed without him on the court. Often, the second unit was missing a secondary playmaker. That will be Rose’s role but Wade can play it as well.

Defensively, Wade will be a player who makes impact plays more than a player that’s a consistent on-ball defender. He’s solid on this end when he has the energy for it but playing heavy minutes seems to impact his ability to keep up with players on the other end, which makes sense considering his age and injury history. Nonetheless, Wade’s impact plays will largely end up being steals (or blocks) that help James score in transition. Even on this end, starting Wade ultimately benefits James.

The experiment may not be seamless despite Wade and James’ connection. However, it’s an intelligent and likely a terrific move by Lue. If the experiment works, who knows. Maybe we’ll see Wade back in Cleveland, and starting beside James, next year. Not only will a starting role and the chance to compete for championships be alluring for Wade but so will playing beside his best friend. For James, it’s a lot easier to stay in The Land, a place that’s more-or-less literally made him King, when his best friend is at his side.

Related Story: Who should Cavs cut to make room for Wade?

*Unless otherwise referenced, all stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com