Dwyane Wade had a pretty old man game. The moves he pulled off in his final season were extraordinary. If you want to copy him, try Wade’s go-to basketball drills.
TL;DR: The best way to score inside the paint as a guard are to do Dwyane Wade’s version of the Mikan Drill, where he adds various types of close shots, such as reverse layups.
A lot of you may see Dwyane Wade as LeBron James’ sidekick.
But Wade was one of the best players in the NBA during the 2010-14 seasons. He was just overshadowed by King James.
Wade is a 3-time NBA champion, 13-time All-Star, and 8-time All-NBA player. He was also elected to the All-NBA Second Defensive Team twice.
Needless to say, he is a well-rounded, two-way guard who can finish inside the paint like no other. But what’s more interesting about him, to me anyway, is how he played in his final NBA season.
At age 37, Wade played in 72 games and competed for 26 minutes a game.
He was coming off of the bench and he averaged 15 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds. He didn’t look like he lost a single step.
As a matter of fact, in his final game, he looked like he could’ve played for at least one more season.
He put up a big triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a (unfortunately) loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
So, how did he play the way that he did?
How Dwyane Wade Played in His Later Years
You’re answer? The old man game (you shouldn’t be surprised with this answer –it is the theme of this blog after all).
Wade used a lot of key fundamentals and moves that didn’t require a lot of athleticism.
He got into the post and took advantage of weaker guards, he took plenty of mid-range jumpers, and he used whatever quickness he had left in the tank to defend.
And every now and then, he attacked the basket after juking a defender.
His final season really was a great display of old man basketball.
Wade’s Go-To Basketball Drills
Right now, you may be wondering, “but what are some drills he did to master these skills?” No need to ponder any longer because I am going to tell you.
Three drills Wade did a lot of were resistance band lateral slides, the Mikan Drill, and touch shots.
Resistance Band Lateral Slides
Wade was never a Defensive Player of the Year, nor was he ever a steals leader. But he can defend.
Remember, he is a 3-time All-Defensive Second Team member.
One of the reasons he was able to defend so well (other than having good defensive instincts) was because he was able to move with his opponent.
And to develop that quickness, he had to do a lot of resistance band lateral slides.
This exercise strengthens the muscles needed for lateral movements so that you can move quicker. It’s really good for developing conditioning for defense.
After doing lateral slides for a couple of weeks, you’ll start moving quicker.
As a result, you’ll be able to stay in front of your opponent. You’ll also be able to cut off slashers more often too.
The Mikan Drill and Touch Shots (Drills to Help with Scoring Inside)
Throughout his entire career, Wade was always a great finisher and a good scorer from the post, especially for a guard.
The reason why is because he always worked on getting comfortable with shooting close-range shots.
After years of doing this, he’s developed a good feel for how to shoot those shots.
The two drills he did often to obtain this IQ were the Mikan Drill and touch shots.
The Mikan Drill is something that I’ve talked about before. You can read about it here.
But basically, it’s great for training your layups. You’re just standing underneath the basket continuously doing layups for a certain number of shots.
After a certain amount of reps, you’ll start to get the feel for a good layup.
You’ll notice where you should bounce the ball and how hard you should shoot it.
This goes the same with touch shots. The only difference is that this shot is further out. And the exercise is also not continuous like the previous. You’ll be resetting before every shot.
But what you’ll learn from doing it for an extended period of time is the same.
Final Thoughts
Wade’s game is something that was developed over years and years of practice.
He worked on the fundamentals and mastered everything that suited his game.
And because of this, his final NBA season was a campaign many can only dream of.
So, if you want to build a style that will last, start training like Dwyane Wade.