Dwyane Wade, per request, will now come off the bench

Dwyane Wade has struggled ever since Tyronn Lue named him the starting shooting guard. Now, he will come off the bench.

It’s no secret that in the three games the Cleveland Cavaliers have played, Dwyane Wade has not been as effective as he should be. He’s averaging a career-low 5.7 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 23.7 minutes per game. In addition, Wade is only shooting 28.0% from the field and 33.0% from three-point range.

According to Tyronn Lue, it was Wade’s idea to switch things up.

Wade has only come off the bench 11 times in his 15-year career. However, Wade is a player who needs the ball in his hands to both create, and score. He will have the chance to do both when coming off the bench.

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Wade said exactly that to Lue in their meeting.

"Via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin: “You know what, Coach? What you said was right. I’d be able to be featured more in the second unit and be able to handle the ball more, so let’s make that move and make that adjustment.’"

Due to Wade moving to the bench, this will ultimately result in J.R. Smith slotting back into his normal starting position. Smith doesn’t need the ball to make an impact. In his three years with the Cavs, Smith’s role of spacing the floor and knocking down threes has been vital to the team’s success. Throughout his three years in Cleveland, Smith has shot around 38.0% from three-point range.

The Cavaliers have made only 7.7 three-pointers per game in just 24.3 attempts this season, resulting in Cleveland shooting just 31.5% from three which is ranked 22nd in the league. Moving Smith back into the starting lineup will certainly help with those ratings.

Wade also had this to say about the move:

"Via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin: “I came here to be a part of winning and to bring what I can to this team, and I want to do that. I feel that my best opportunity to do that is in that unit, so it just came down to that.”"

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All in all, Wade moving to the bench and leading the second unit is a win-win situation. Wade will be the number one option off the bench, thus maximizing his potential on the team. Smith will help spread the floor in the starting lineup resulting in bigger driving lanes and more effective three-point efficiency.

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com