Dean Wade signed a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. He may not have known it then, but he gets to team-up with one of the greatest players of all-time.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Dean Wade is a new addition to the team, and he has shared his reaction to the LeBron James signing.
“At first I was like, 'Is this a joke?' but then I was like, 'Man, this is crazy.'" Wade said. "It didn’t feel real at the time.”
Easy to say, the excitement continues to pour in over the news of James coming to Philadelphia. Even though Wade won’t be starting alongside James, he'll surely be a player he looks to when he needs someone to make an important three-pointer. Wade has been around for quite some time, so his ceiling has probably reached its peak.
There could be another part of his game that has yet to unfold. Duncan Robinson, who is another standout three-point shooter, wasn’t known to put the ball on the floor, but when he switched from the Miami Heat to the Detroit Pistons, he started to drive to the basket more often. This is an attribute Wade could use now that he is playing with the 41-year-old.
Wade averaged 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds on 43.9% shooting and 36.2% shooting from three-point range last season. It's safe to say he made the most of his limited minutes in Cleveland (22.3 per game). In the playoffs he made important stops on the defensive side that aided the Cavaliers making it out of the first round.
Wade has plenty of playoff experience coming from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Playing alongside James Harden and Donovan Mitchell helped him be a part of the team, especially with a team that plays at a fast pace and moves effortlessly in transition. In Philadelphia that is going to be their bread and butter. Wade is excited to learn and experience life on the court with James.
The reaction of his friends said more about the signing than Wade himself. Wade explained how he found it funny that his phone lit up more for James than it did when he signed with Philadelphia himself.
Can one really blame them? It’s a monumental move that can benefit everyone involved, including Wade. James' playmaking will benefit a sharpshooter like him on a regular basis.
There’s always going to be questions about the team because of all the injury history, but it’s not uncommon for an injury-prone team to still do enough with the roster to go far in the NBA.
