The Miami Heat are going to need a lot from Dwyane Wade this year and he would like to be on the court in every game according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Wade's comments came on Saturday during the first day of training camp for the Heat. It's a lofty goal considering that Wade missed 28 games during the 2013-14 season. A lot of that time missed was not due to injury, but rather to keep Wade fresh under a designed plan.
"My goal is to be available every day for my teammates and see what that equals out to. Hopefully it equals out to success for myself, individually, but for our team," Wade told the Sentinel.
The plan instituted by the Heat was done in a way to have Wade at his healthiest and best when playoff time came around. In a lot of ways, the plan worked as Wade did have some big games down the stretch. It's unknown how effective Wade may have been without those regular resting periods throughout the year.
Resting Wade was a luxury that the Heat could afford with LeBron James on the team. With the departure of the superstar, Wade is going to be looked at for bigger minutes and bigger moments. Having Chris Bosh in the fold still helps but Wade is going to need to be a factor on a regular basis if Miami hopes to go deep in the playoffs.
Wade who will turn 33 in January has never played in all 82 games for the Heat during his career but he's been in the high 70s multiple times. His career-high in games came during 2008-09 when Wade played and started 79 games for the Heat. The last time Wade eclipsed 69 games played came all the way back in the 2010-11 season which was the first season with James.
The first preseason game for Miami will come on October 4th against the New Orleans Pelicans.
