There is no questioning the dominance former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade exercised over the league in his prime years. A hyperathletic guard who at peak form became the 2006 NBA Finals MVP, Wade made his mark as one of the greatest shooting guards to ever step on the floor.  

Wade’s accolades illustrate his excellence, but former NBA guard Jeff Teague believes a current All-Star guard is just as good despite not having the same accolades yet: Donovan Mitchell. 

“Like, I'm not saying Donovan Mitchell better than D -Wade, because I think D -Wade, what he was doing, taking them teams to the finals and stuff like that,” Teague said on the Club 520 Podcast. “But after that first finals run, I think Donovan Mitchell was just as good as D -Wade.” 

Wade averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals in the Heat’s six-game series against the Dallas Mavericks in 2006. Despite having Shaquille O’Neal as his co-star and facing Dirk Nowitzki, Wade was clearly the best player on the floor.  

“Like, the young D -Wade, when it first happened, when he made that run with Dallas, against Dallas or whatever, we'd be like, damn, he was incredible,” Teague added. “But after that, yeah, after that, he played with Bron.” 

As a six-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, Mitchell has cemented himself as one of the league’s best players. The 29-year-old produced dazzling moments with the Utah Jazz, the team that acquired him on draft night from the Denver Nuggets after the latter selected him with the 13th pick. 

Mitchell is remembered for going toe-to-toe with Nuggets guard Jamal Murray in the 2020 NBA Bubble, where he notched multiple 50-point efforts through a seven-game series. Since arriving in Cleveland, Mitchell has become the face of the franchise for the Cavaliers and has been an All-Star starter twice.  

Through the first 16 games of the season, Mitchell is averaging 30.8 points, the fifth-highest mark in the league. Teague’s comments came after the Cavaliers beat the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday, and Mitchell scored 37 points. 

Teague received some pushback from his co-hosts, and it is undeniable the Wade holds championship pedigree (three rings) while Mitchell has never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs. Wade also became a first-ballot Hall of Famer as a member of the 2023 class. 

Both Mitchell and Wade possess similar archetypes. At only 29 years old, Mitchell may eclipse Wade’s resume, but it will not be easy.