Dwyane Wade Has Weaned Himself Off One-Legged Threes

Jun 3, 2012, 3:12 PM UTC

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Dwyane Wade is and has been one of the NBA’s best players, but his proficiency from three-point range has always been a bit less than one might expect from an All-NBA shooting guard. Fortunately, as he told reporters yesterday, he’s not going to shoot many one-legged threes anymore.

Wade first got to the topic of one-legged threes while talking about being doubled, as he was, repeatedly, in Game 3.

Q. Is this doubling as much, Dwyane, that you’ve seen since LeBron got here?
DWYANE WADE: Yes. This much?
Q. This much.
DWYANE WADE: Yes.Q. Is it comparable to what teams would do to you before LeBron was here?
DWYANE WADE: When Chris (Bosh) is on the court you can’t do that too much.Q. I mean before you guys got together‑‑ DWYANE WADE: Yeah. It’s kind of like that. My shot selection was a little different back then. I would shoot a one‑legged three, and no one said nothing. Don’t feel the same way. It’s a little different.

Before he could get away from a media availability session without justifying his controversial comments on one-legged threes, Wade was pressed on the issue.

Q. Who is most vocal, Dwyane, when you do shoot a one‑legged three these days?
DWYANE WADE: I don’t do it. I didn’t attempt a three last night. I don’t do that no more.
Q. In general? LeBron?
DWYANE WADE: No. No one says it to me. I might get a look or two, but‑‑ I might hear the coaches scream from the bench. A couple of years ago it was fine.I don’t really do that no more. I try to play a smarter game, understanding my shots a little better. Like I said, I didn’t attempt a free throw, but I didn’t attempt a three neither. So I had a couple of double zeros last night in there.

Wade’s right about cutting way down on his triples, one-legged or not. After shooting more than 200 in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11, averaging more than 2.7 threes per game in each year but never making more than 88 year, Wade shot just 56 in the regular season in 2011-12, for an average of 1.1 threes per game.

He’s taken just 18 threes in the playoffs so far, too, and just one against Boston. There’s no easy way of figuring out how many were one-legged, though.

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