Anthony Edwards has drawn comparisons to Hall of Fame star Dwyane Wade due to his combination of speed, athleticism, and scoring ability. However, while they share similar skills, Edwards still has some way to go before reaching that elite level.
Last season, Edwards surprised everyone with his skills in the playoffs and was also selected for the US team. After his baptism in the FIBA World Cup, it seems the NBA has officially recognized him as a shooting guard with both offensive and defensive capabilities, positioning him as the next great American player in the league.
Despite the parallels to Wade, Edwards still has room for growth before he can be considered one of the best in history. As the new season begins, it presents an opportunity for Edwards to bridge the gap and reach the Hall of Fame level.
Offensive efficiency
Edwards posted a career-high true shooting percentage of 56.4% last season, but it still fell below the league average of 58.1%. Throughout his three seasons in the league, his offensive efficiency has never surpassed the league average.
In comparison, when Wade entered the league, his scoring efficiency was slightly above average, and at his peak, his true shooting percentage was 3-4 percentage points better than the league average. There is a significant disparity in efficiency between the two players, particularly in Edwards’ ability to finish offensive plays.
Wade’s lightning-fast cutting and setting skills, a combination of speed, strength, control, footwork, dribbling ability, and vision, contributed to his status as a historic scoring champion. In contrast, Edwards needs to adjust his speed, know when to cut through defenders, absorb contact, and complete offensive plays without relying on referees for calls.
Luckily, players like Edwards typically develop their offensive finishing touches in their 20s, as seen with Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers. Another factor affecting Edwards’ offensive efficiency is his free throw rate. While he improved last season with 7.1 free throws per 100 possessions, it pales in comparison to Wade’s career peak of 14.8 free throws per 100 possessions.
Wade’s ability to draw fouls, even on jump shots, contributed to his scoring efficiency. This technique has been utilized by great scoring aces like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and DeMar DeRozan. Edwards’ current mid-range performance needs improvement, as he only outperformed 28% of other forwards in the league last season.
Passing ability
Wade was not only a great scorer but also excelled in passing the ball and creating offensive opportunities for his teammates. Between 2004-2010, Wade accumulated the eighth most assists in the league with 1,115. His passer rating during that period ranged from 5.9 to 8 points, signaling his exceptional passing ability.
In contrast, Edwards had a passer rating of 4.8 points last season and his assists at the basket lagged behind other players by 53% since entering the NBA. Improving his passing ability will be crucial for Edwards to further elevate his game.
Anthony Edwards’ combination of speed, athleticism and scoring firepower reminds many of Hall of Fame star Dwyane Wade; however, in addition to similarities in skills, it is still difficult to reach the level of “one of the best in history”. way to go
After surprising everyone with his skills in the first round of the playoffs last season, along with being selected for the US team, and after being baptized in the FIBA World Cup, it seems that The NBA has officially considered Anthony Edwards a shooting guard. with both offense and defense, as the next American player in the facade Representation league.
His combination of speed, athleticism and firepower reminds many of former league No. 2 and Hall of Fame star Dwyane Wade; however, apart from the similarity in skills, the last Edwards we saw last season, there is still a way to go before reaching the level of this senior “one of the best in history”.
Having started the new season, Edwards has a strong chance to close the gap between himself and Hall of Fame level. Below, we’ll break down Edwards’ style of play and look at what aspects does the former No. 1 pick still need to improve to become a modern-day American Flash?
offensive efficiency
Last season, Edwards posted a career high true shooting percentage of 56.4%, but even so, this number was still below the league average of 58.1%. In fact, in the first three seasons of Edwards’ career, his offensive efficiency has never been able to surpass the league average.
Compared to his predecessors, Dwyane Wade scored slightly above the league average when he entered the league, and then at his peak, his true shooting percentage was 3-4 percentage points better than the league average (in percentage terms, “Lightning” The scoring efficiency of “Xia Xia” in its peak period was approximately between PR70-80).
There is a big difference in the efficiency of the two scorers in Wade’s touch at the end of the offense. According to Advanced Glass Cleaning data: Between the 2004-2010 seasons, Wade’s last touch among players in the same position was better than 81% of other players in the league; however, in the same data items, Edwards was never better than 52 %.
Almost from the moment he entered the league, Wade has mastered his lightning fast cutting and setting skills, he combines speed, strength, control, footwork, dribbling ability and vision, and he can use these all-around skills on will to become a player ■ Historic scoring champion.
In contrast, Edwards needs to figure out how to adjust his speed, know when to cut his way out of the crowd, absorb collisions and complete offensive plays – rather than easily falling to the ground and having to rely on whether the referee blows the whistle.
These details create the difference in offensive efficiency between the two, but the good news is that young ball-handling forwards like Edwards will grow mostly in their offensive finishing touches starting in their 20s (Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers is a perfect example).
Another factor that reduces Edwards’ offensive efficiency is his free throw rate: His free throw rate last season (2022-23) reached 7.1 free throws per 100 possessions, but this number is consistent with a season Wade’s career peak. (14.8 free throws per 100 possessions, 2006-07 season) pales in comparison.
Part of this has to do with the control ability we talked about earlier. Under normal circumstances, if you can’t control your movements and wrists firmly when challenging for the basket, it will be more difficult for the referee favoring you in the call- —After all, he can’t decide if it’s the defender that affects your balance, or if it’s your own body that’s out of control first?
Wade can draw a lot of fouls even on his jump shot. His mid-range accomplishments have always been recognized (especially short-mid-range jump shots), so when he fakes shots in the hot shooting zone, it’s easy for defenders to fall into the trap, allowing that he stood up easily for free throws. ■ Lines are used to score points, as in the following video:
This is not Wade’s personal patent. Many great scoring aces in history such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and DeMar DeRozan are also familiar with this technique to improve their scoring efficiency. However, Edwards’ current mid-range performance is not still good enough. (better than just 28% of the other forwards in the league last season), this is something he has to improve on if he wants to significantly improve his scoring efficiency.
able to pass
As well as being a great scorer, Wade is also great at passing the ball and uses himself to penetrate the opposition’s defense and create offensive opportunities for his teammates. Between the 2004-10 seasons, Wade accumulated the eighth most assists in the league (1,115 times).
According to Ben Taylor’s Passer Rating, a scale that rates a player’s ability to pass on a scale of 1-10, Wade’s passer rating during that period ranged from 5.9 to 8. points (PR value falling between 80 and 97) ; Edwards only had 4.8. points (PR 50) last season, and since he entered the NBA, his assists in the basket have exceeded the other players by 53%.
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