Dwyane Wade is regarded by many as one of the five best shooting guards in NBA history. Where exactly you place him depends on personal preference, but he and James Harden undeniably belong somewhere in the three-to-five range.
This week, Kendrick Perkins spoke with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Heavy.com and offered his thoughts on who the modern-day version of D. Wade currently is. In his estimation, it’s Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.
“The way he moves through the lane, how crafty he is even with the walk with the shoulders and all,” Perkins said.
“It’s something about his whole swag it’s D. Wade-ish. When you look at D. Wade when he first came in, he was dunking everything, he was super athletic. That’s who Donovan Mitchell is. Chase down blocks and all that? Yeah. He is the modern day D. Wade.”
Donovan Mitchell is the modern day @DwyaneWade says @KendrickPerkins – https://t.co/4kOTItLvSJ
“The way he moves through the lane, how crafty he is even with the walk with the shoulders & all.”
“It’s something about his whole swag it’s D-Wade-ish.”
1/2 pic.twitter.com/CweUeVw3dy
— 👑📍Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, M.A. (@ScoopB) December 28, 2020
There are definitely some notable simliarites between Mitchell and Wade, including their rises to prominence.
Much in the way Wade found himself in LeBron James’ and Carmelo Anthony’s shadows in his draft class, Mitchell was outshined by Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball before any actual games were played. Once all parties involved suited up for their ballclubs, though – it suddenly became very clear that Mitchell was a stud.
Last year, Mitchell averaged a career-high 24.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 34.3 minutes per outing. He shot 44.9 percent overall and 36.6 percent from behind the arc, both also career-high marks.
Fans took a close look at this OJ Simpson photo and lost their minds. https://t.co/8BUpha9b8g
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 29, 2020
In last season’s first round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Mitchell averaged a mind-blowing 36.3 points while shooting 52.9 percent overall and 51.6 percent from behind the arc.
For his troubles, Mitchell earned a five-year, $195 million contract this past offseason. Of that total, $163 million is guaranteed.
While it remains to be seen if Mitchell ultimately becomes an all-time great like Wade, if that is in fact his goal, he is certainly off to a good start.
Related: Steve Kerr Reveals Warriors’ Draymond Green Replacement
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
