When Dwyane Wade crossed over New York Knicks guard Langston Galloway during the Miami Heat’s 97-78 win Friday night, the comments on the highlight reel used the word “vintage.” That was “vintage Wade.”
It was something out of the circa-2006 Wade archives. But we don’t always see such athleticism take over for Wade. He’s reinvented himself, picked up the old-man game and is now out-cunning–not out-running or out-jumping–opponents to baskets.
It’s a similar mid-career pivot to San Antonio Spurs great Tim Duncan. Duncan has reinvented his game, no longer the center-piece of the team every play but a potentially-dominant, complementary piece of a bigger team system.