Subscribe
Follow Us
As father time is catching up with him, it has been a normal occurrence for Dwayne Wade to be given additional nights off and at times even placed on a minutes restriction the past few campaigns. However, now that he is once again with the Miami Heat, the team apparently has no plans of placing him on a maintenance plan, unlike during his previous stint with them.
The change in the approach to preserving his health was visibly seen on Wednesday as the former 12-time All-Star is still slated to see action on Wednesday, in the second game of their back-to-back set. The development was also reported by Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
“After being put into a “maintenance” program with the Miami Heat during his previous tenure with the team, Dwyane Wade said no such contingencies have been discussed for this reunion tour.”
“That had Wade again in the rotation in Wednesday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers on the second night of a back-to-back set, after playing 21 minutes in Tuesday night's loss to the Toronto Raptors.”
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra then confirmed that he has not had any discussions with the veteran shooting guard yet of having a possible maintenance program designed for him as the season progresses.
“Not right now,” Spoelstra said, “no.”
Now in his 15th year in the NBA, Wade already has a ton of games under his belt and is no longer the same player he used to be earlier in his career. However, Wade's real value can be seen during postseason appearances, as he leads by example during games and shares his experiences with younger teammates.
That explains why Wade is rested more, in order to remain fresh later in the season when he’s needed the most. For now, it can be expected that Wade will continue to see action in each game the Heat will have but don't be surprised if Miami changes its plan.
