Reason No. 1: Wade starting equals wins for Cavs
Wade isn’t going to surprise you with a a bunch of 20-point games and double-doubles. He’s been asked in this Cavs offense by Bickerstaff to be that outside three-point shooter. When those aren’t falling or you don’t see Wade trying to take the ball to the rim, it’s not because he’s lost his confidence, like some critics have been arguing of late.
If you want to debate confidence, then first pay attention to Bickerstaff’s unpredictability with the rotation. One can’t expect any of the Cavs players to feel comfortable in the rotation when there is no logical reason to when they are getting to play or not.
Back to Wade and his game to date. When he has started now this year, the Cavs are 9-2, well, 10-2 including Thursday night’s win over the Orlando Magic, albeit with both teams essentially resting several crucial players. In games where he’s played more than 20 minutes, excluding last game in that sense, the team is 18-5. Those are outstanding stats that matter when you’re talking about team wins.
The upcoming playoff series with the Knicks is just around the corner and fortunately, for the Cavaliers, Wade has played some of his best games against them. Back in late October, Wade had the best game of his season when he went for 22 points on six of eight shots from beyond the three-point arch.
So, if Okoro does continue to miss time, the Cavaliers can have confidence in Wade to make impact winning if his number is called from that standpoint.