Furious With Erik Spoelstra, Dwyane Wade Spills The Truth On How He Overcame Coach Spo’s ‘Minutes’ Decisions

Wade recalled playing 38-40 minutes per game early in his career, but after Spo joined the Heat, he cut it down to 34 minutes. The three-time NBA Champion wasn’t in favor of that decision as he feared it’d cause a dip in his numbers. However, when Spo showed him the film, Wade realized why it was an important call.

“He took me out and played me about four less minutes because I was finding moments on the court to rest,” Wade said. The Heat legend realized that by playing four fewer minutes, he was more efficient for his team. Until the 2010-11 season, Wade was averaging nearly 38 minutes per game, scoring 25.4 points, shooting 48.5% from the field. In the next five seasons that he played for the Heat, he averaged 32.5 minutes and scored 20.5 points while shooting nearly 50% from the field.

Spo’s decision helped Wade achieve longevity in the game, as by playing fewer minutes, he became less injury-prone while contributing immensely to the team’s success.

Erik Spoelstra used to give Dwyane Wade tasks during the All-Star breaks

The famous Heat Culture is about doing everything in one’s power to help the team. It’s a full-time commitment, and there are no off days. On his podcast, Wade talked about the Heat Culture and what life was like playing for Coach Spo. “Spo send me a whole one-pager of what he expected when I got back,” Wade said.

The list included things like a 6.5 body fat percentage, among other fitness goals for DWade to maintain. Wade also used to receive proper workout plans to follow during the All-Star break in order to keep his cardiovascular system up. He said, “I already know what’s expected. The organization already set precedent; they didn’t just leave it up to me.”

So, even when the players weren’t on franchise duty, they had to do certain things in order to be game-ready. Wade said that he has been part of other franchises, and they weren’t as committed to the job as the Miami organization during the breaks.